A Strange Affair
by Kchan88
Summary: This is the sequal to 'A New Start.' Its been two years since the Phantom has last been seen. Raoul, Christine, Marie Claire and Arthur have returned to their normal lives. But as Marie's and Arthur's wedding approaches, all wonder if Erik will return.
1. Default Chapter

A Strange Affair

The sequal to a New Start by Kchan88

Disclaimer: I do not own Phantom of the Opera, as much as I wish I did.

A/N: Its been two years, and Erik has not returned. Christine, Raoul, Marie, Arthur, Lizzie and everyone else has returned to normal. But all still wonder if he will return. Everything is happy as Marie's and Arthur's wedding approaches. Our story begins two weeks before the wedding. Hope that you like it as much as the first. Enjoy!  
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Chapter 1: Two years later

Nineteen year old Marie Claire de Chagny hit the last note of rehearsal with ease and perfection. She smiled, her heart filled with pure joy at the sound of the music. She had only grown more beautiful over the past two years, in both voice and appearance. But there was no doubt that she had changed, for the experience two years ago had changed everyone. But the years had given her time to heal, and she was truly happy. The ususal hustle and bustle began as rehearsal ended.

"Bravo madmoiselle." said Firmin, smiling broadly. "Your voice only grows more beautiful as the years pass, just like your mother's"

"Thank you Monsieur Firmin." said Marie as she stepped down from the stage.

"When will your parents be returning?" asked Andre, "We've missed them over the past week."

"They are coming in this afternoon. They've only been gone for a week, but it seems like an eternity." said Marie. "Speaking of that, I'd best get home. They'll be here in an hour or so." she said turning to go.

"Farewell Marie, we'll see you tommorow." said the managers, each giving her a kiss on the hand as she curtseyed goodbye.

She gave one final wave before walking out into the the bright sunlight of the Parisian summer, where Arthur and Lizzie were waiting for her. "Well that was a good rehearsal, if I do say so myself." said Arthur, taking Marie's hand as the trio walked.

"Much better than yesterday's," said Lizzie, "And I think I've finally got my ballet solo down." she said, the sunlight glinting off of her golden locks. "Your parents are coming home today Marie, are you excited?"

Marie grinned, her parents had gone to London for a week to buy wedding presents and to make the final preparations for the 'big surprise' that they had for Marie and Arthur.

"I'm so happy that they'll be home today. And its only two weeks until the wedding." she said, gazing fondly over at Arthur.

Arthur grinned. "I can't believe its been two years already. Its going to get hectic over the next two weeks."

Marie nodded and laughed at the image of her parents running about over the next days, trying to make everything perfect for her.

"I think my mother is going to have a nervous breakdown." said Lizzie chuckling." What with your wedding in two weeks and then mine in three more months."

"Ah, we're getting old." joked Marie Claire, "Weddings and operas, its so strange, it seems as though we were all doing our first opera just yesterday."

"Oh yes, we're getting gray hair and everything." said Arthur, playing along.

The three laughed as they walked along, making their way towards Arthur's carriage, and it seemed like they didn't have a care or a worry in the world. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After taking Lizzie home, the carriage pulled up in front of the de Chagny house. Arthur helped Marie down, giving her a soft kiss on the lips.

"Tell your parents I said hello. I'll see you later, my love." he said, giving her one last embrace, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her. Then he drove away, blowing her a kiss, his bay horses whinnying as he went.

As Marie entered her house, she was immediatley greeted by ten year old Felix who had an excited grin on his face.

"Hello Marie. How was rehearsal? Where's Arthur? Where's Lizzie? I'm so excited that Mama and Papa will be home, aren't you?" he asked in a frenetic rush.

"You are a curious one aren't you?" laughed Marie, her blue eyes sparkling as she touseled her brother's hair.

"Yes I'm very excited that Mama and Papa are coming home. In fact..", she said as she heard the crunching of hooves on the ground," I believe that's them now."

They rushed out onto the front porch to see Raoul parking the white stallions, and Christine laughing at something that he was saying. As they stepped down, their eyes lit up at the sight of their children. Raoul jumped down swiftly and then helped Christine down, spinning her about and giving her kiss before putting her down. Marie and Felix ran to them, and they shared one large group hug.

"Welcome home!" said Marie, her blue eyes alight.

"We're so glad to be home!" said Christine, giving each of her children a kiss on the forehead. " Why this has to have been the first time we've ever gone anywhere without you two."

"But," said Raoul grinning, "I know someone who will be glad we did." he said as he kissed his daughter's rosy cheek.

Marie glanced over and saw several packages in the back of the carriage, and smiled curiously.

"I am anxious to see what they are, but even more so to know what the 'big surprise' is." she said, her face emanating with true happiness that seemed to spread to everyone.

"Well you will, soon enough." said Christine mishieviously.

Raoul turned to Felix, a twinkle in his eye.

"I say Felix de Chagny, you must have grown a foot while we've been away." said Raoul as he tickled his son.

"Do you think so papa?" asked Felix, "Do you think I'll be as tall as you?" he said, jumping up and down, trying to reach Raoul's height.

"Oh much taller, I think." said Raoul, laughing and winking at Christine and Marie, who were trying to keep a straight face.

The family walked inside as twilight began to fall. They sat by the hearth, just talking. And they were all happy, truly happy. Yes, the experience two years ago had changed them, but healing and perhaps even forgiveness had taken place. It had been hard yes, and painful, but time had gone on.

"How did rehearsals go this week Marie?" asked Christine, "I wish I could have done this opera, but your wedding carries the stress of fifteen operas." said Christine, grinning.

Marie Claire nodded, she knew how that felt.

"Rehearsals are going wonderfully actually But you promised Andre and Firmin that you would do the next show. This is the first one you've not done in a while." said Marie.

"They were almost on their knees." remarked Raoul. "But it is no wonder they were, when the pair of you are on stage together it sounds like a chorus of angels. To hear the two of you sing is amazing." he said, deep blue eyes sparkling with excitementt.

"Well, I'm quite excited myself." said Christine smiling and taking Raoul's hand in hers.

"Speaking of the opera, how are Arthur and Lizzie?" asked Raoul, Are they still joining us for dinner tommorow?"

"They're fine, perhaps both a bit more of a nervous wreck since you saw them before you left, but fine." said Marie, laughing. "Arthur is so nervous. He's so afraid he's going to do something wrong."

"Well I remember feeling the same way, before my wedding." said Raoul, smiling lovingly at Christine. "But your mother managed to keep me sane."

Marie chuckled as she yawned lightly. "And if I don't get to bed, I'll be a nervous wreck to."

"I think that's wise choice for all of us. Tommorow will be a busy day. After all, we are going to pick up your dress tommorow." said, Christine, her face lighting up.

"It seems like just yesterday that you were born,and now a wedding dress. You've grown up my girl." said Raoul, his voice nostalgic. "Its to much for a father to handle."

"Don't worry papa, I'm not going far after all. Arthur's house is only a few miles from here." said Marie, hugging her parents and brother goodnight.

"The years have flown." said Christine, her voice slightly sad.

"Yes, "said Marie, "They have.

And as the family went to bed, their heads full of wedding thoughts, they slept a peaceful sleep. But still a small twinge of uncertainty was coming nearer, for as the wedding came closer, all wondered if the Phantom knew.  
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A/N: Well there you have it, the first chapter. Its just re introducing some of the main characters, and what is going on. I'm so excited about this story! Chapter 2 should be up very soon. Please read and review! 


	2. Wedding Plans

A Strange Affair

Chapter 2: Wedding Plans

"Beautiful"  
"Gorgeous"  
"Radiant."

These were the words that were spoken as Marie Claire stood in front of the mirror at the dress shop in her completed wedding gown. It reached the floor and was pure white. The lace sleeves rested on her shoulders. The bodice was simple but there was a pattern of tulip shaped pearls diagonally across it. A white ribbon went around the bottom, with lace peeping out the bottom. Marie looked even more beautiful than normal, if that were possible. Arthur couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of his bride to be as she twirled around.

"Marie Claire you look astonishing." said Lizzie, her green eyes glowing with excitement.

"I couldn't agree more." said Meg, smiling at her goddaughter.

"Thankyou." said Marie, her smile reaching her eyes as she looked in the mirror once more. The dress was exactly as she had pictured it.

"You look beautiful darling." said Christine, coming over to hug her daughter. "Its perfect."

"Absolutely perfect." said Raoul, echoing his wife's sentiments, his eyes tearing slightly as the sight of his little girl in a wedding dress. But a jubilant grin was still on his face.

"Do you really think so papa?" asked Marie.

"Yes dear I do. You look gorgeous." he said.

Marie twirled about once more before going to change, a radiant smile on her face. Christine went with her to help her out of the dress. As she began to untie the back, she gazed at her daughter and marveled how much she had grown up. But hopefully not to fast, for Christine often worried that the experience with Erik had forced her to grow up a little early. But Christine thanked God everyday that Marie Claire had not had to grow up without parents, as she herself had. For Christine never wanted her daughter to suffer the pain that she had after losing her father at such a young age. She hugged her daughter from behind. Marie Claire smiled, hugging her mother back very warmly.

"I love you mama." she said softly, those blue eyes that looked so much like Raoul's sparkling with pure joy.

"I love you to sweetie. And congratulations."

"Arthur liked the dress didn't he?" asked Marie slyly.

"Yes I think he quite fancied it." said Christine laughing as she pulled up Marie's dark brown curls with a comb, smiling at how much they looked like her own.

A few minutes later the two emerged and the group made their way towards the restaurant where they were going to dinner. As they walked towards Raoul's carriage, Arthur came up behind Marie and wrapped his arm around her slim waist .

"You looked like and angel in that dress you know." he said grinning." You took my breath away." he said, chocolate eyes sparkling, his light brown, wavy hair blowing in the light breeze.

She answered him with a kiss and her glowing smile nearly knocked him off his feet. The group reached the carriage and all climbed in. The top was down and the sun cast a warm glow about the city, going along rather well with the mood. But as Raoul drove the white horses off, no one noticed the dark figure glaring down their path.

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A few hours later, the carriage pulled up in front of the white paneled , red shuttered de Chagny house, and Raoul, Christine, Arthur, Lizzie, and Marie all came out, very full and very talkative. They were talking of course about the wedding. Erik looked down upon them, a stony expression on his face. Raoul held Christine's hand and she smiled warmly and contentedly up at him, as they chuckled at the antics of the young ones, who were teasing Felix. Arthur had his arm about Marie's shoulder, and Lizzie had Felix on hers. The Phantom's eyes burned as he watched the group walk in. But his timing was perfect. Raoul was the last to walk in, and as he did Erik dropped a letter at the younger man's feet. Raoul stared at it for a moment, his blue eyes shocked. He heard the soft swish of a cloak, knowing that the Phantom was leaving.

"I know that you're there Erik. But whatever it is that you are planning, do not do anything to harm Christine or Marie Claire, or you will regret it!" he called after the figure. He didn't mention anything about the wedding, for he didn't want to clue the Phantom in if he didn't know. He heard the calls of everyone inside, beckoning for him to come in. But before he did, he opened the letter, and saw one sentence scripted across the parchment.:

'Consider this your first warning.'

The cryptic message was written in pitch black ink across the parchment, the usual crimson seal of a skull on the envelope. Raoul slipped it in his pocket, his hand shaking as he tried to remain calm.

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Erik strode down the street, his black cloak flowing behind him in the warm June evening breeze. People that he passed looked at him strangely, wondering why any person would be wearing a cloak in such warm weather. So, Marie Claire, and that traitor Arthur were getting married in two weeks. He knew that their worst fear was him finding out about the wedding. And as much as he desired to stop this wedding, he knew that if he did, it would ruin the ingenious plan that he had devised. It was an infallible plan, his best yet. He smirked as he thought of the look on the Vicomte's face. Such a mixture of emotions from one little letter; Fear, passionate anger, shock, worry, uncertainty, sadness. Erik knew that Raoul would tell Christine of the letter, but wondered fleetingly, would they tell the young couple? He smirked at the inner turmoil he had caused, and at the thought of his plan. Let the wedding proceed, it didn't matter. For soon, Christine and Marie would be his. Forever. He would be alone no more.

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Raoul waited until after everyone had gone to bed to show Christine the letter. When he had walked in the house after finding the letter, he simply couldn't bear to tell them about it and wipe the smiles off of their happy and gleeful faces. Christine came out from behind her dressing screen, her white, lacy nightgown flowing behind her as she smiled at her beloved husband.

"Is something wrong Raoul, love?" she asked concerned at the look on his face.

He sighed, the muscles in his neck tensing up. He took off his jacket, and rolled up his shirt sleeves, pulling the letter out..

"Christine sweetie, I hate to tell you this." he said, his heart breaking at having to tell her this. "But I found this on our door step when we came home tonight."

Christine stared in horror at the note, as she read its short but disturbing message. She leaned her head into Raoul's shoulder, burying her her face in his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her, tears running down his own face.

"This can't be happening." she said, her voice a whisper. "Not now, at Marie's and Arthur's wedding."

She looked up at him, her brown eyes glistening with diamond like tears as she hugged him close. He brought her an unexplainable feeling of security. He held her tightly to his chest, running his fingers through her hair, trying to soothe both of their fears and smiling slightly at how similar Marie's hair was to Christine's. He contemplated what to do.

"I cannot let him do anything to ruin Marie's wedding." said Raoul slowly, his voice laced with worry. "Marie and Arthur are so excited and I want that day to be perfect for them. I've never seen Marie this happy, her smile seems to light up the room, like it did before what happened with the Phantom." he said as he brushed his beloved's tears away with his thumb, wanting to reassure her and make her feel better. He hated seeing her so upset.

She brushed the tears from his sea blue eyes, as she kissed his cheek. "I don't want to tell Marie about the letter yet, I don't want her to worry about this. I just want her wedding to be perfect ." said Christine, a spark of determination in her musical voice. "I don't want her memories of her wedding to be marred by this. And Arthur has become like another son to us, and I want he and Marie to be happy, as we were on our wedding day." said Christine smiling up at her soulmate through tearful chocolate eyes.

Raoul couldn't help but smile at that comment.

"Then perhaps it would be best if we didn't tell them until after the wedding. It just worries me that they won't be on the lookout. We'll have to be careful." said Raoul gravely.

"Even if she dosen't know about the letter, I think that both she and Arthur wiil know to be careful. They do after all, know of his threat to return and know what he is capable of." said Christine knowingly. "I just don't want any of us to be trapped in the darkness again, even Erik."

"I know." said Raoul with feeling as he kissed her forehead.

"But I'm comforted so much with you here beside me, my love." she said sleepily as she kissed him gently.

He returned the kiss lovingly, as the two felt the strong love flow between them. He smiled as he closed his eyes, the thought of his beautiful angel beside him soothing him slightly. But apprehension rested in both hearts, for they knew what was coming, hoping that it didn't happen during the wedding.

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A/N: Hey, I hope you like this. Its still the beginning, so not too much action has occured, but don't worry it will! But the next chapter will be up soon, so please read and review! Yay the wedding is coming!

Samantha- Thanks for your review, your support has encouraged me a lot!

Asia1st- I'm so glad that you're excited about the story!

Trinity- Thanks for your review, hope you like this! 


	3. Wedding Morning

A Strange Affair Chapter 3: Wedding Morning

Marie Claire woke up on the morning of her wedding to the soft chirping of the birds outiside. The sun was just rising outside the bay window. She sat up and pulled her curls out of the ponytail at the base of her neck, allowing them to fall down her back. She smiled as she looked around the room, the room which had been hers for all of her life. It was a slightly bittersweet moment, for today was the last day that she would be Marie Claire de Chagny. As of four o'clock this afternoon, she would become Marie Claire Page'. But the name would not change who she was. Her heart fluttered as she thought of Arthur, the man who had completley swept her off her feet. His soft tenor voice singing to her, his gentle kiss on her lips, his warm arms comforting her. They had healed each other over the past two years, making each other whole again. As that thought came to her mind, she thought of the Phantom, wondering if he knew about the wedding, and knowing how he was, she thought that he probably did. She had noticed that her father had had a rather shaken look on his face the other night, and she worried that it was about the Phantom. But she had decided that if her parents knew something, they would tell her when they believed she should know, so she hadn't dwelled on it. Her thoughts fell back on Arthur, and how close she had come to losing him, so frighteningly close. But she hadn't. The love they had was unbreakable, and it made her happy beyond all measure that today they would be united as one. She stepped from beneath her four poster, canopy bed, the cool hardwood floor feeling pleasant under her feet. She turned and looked at her window, remembering the time she had almost fallen out of it. She had been about eight, and had thought that she could reach the tree from her window. But luckily Christine had caught her at just the right time. She chuckled. She had to admit, sometimes she was to curious for her own good. A soft knock was heard at her door, and her parents came in, still in their nightclothes. They smiled brightly at their daughter, so glad to see her so happy. They were feeling relieved as well, for no strange occurences had happened over the past two weeks, and the opera had gone by with no disruptions. They were beginning to wonder if for some strange and twisted reason Erik was waiting until after the wedding to reappear. Or maybe he had changed his mind. But one could never tell. But Raoul and Christine were glad that they had decided not to tell Marie and Arthur about the letter yet, for there seemed to be no reason to worry just yet.

"Well Marie Claire de Chagny, you are an early bird this morning, my girl." said Raoul.

"Yes, we rather thought we would come in and scare you awake." joked Christine, her eyes laughing.

Marie laughed and shook her curly head at them. " I'm sorry I ruined your fun, but I am so excited that I hardly slept at all, so waking up early seemed to be a good idea." she said, yawning and stretching. "And besides it is my wedding day, I'll have to start getting ready soon."

"Wedding, what wedding?" asked Raoul playfully, feigning ignorance.

"Oh papa, you know perfectly well what wedding." laughed Marie, hitting her father playfully on the shoulder.

"Yes dear I know what wedding." said Raoul, a grin lighting his kind, handsome features.

"He was just having one of those selective memory lapses." said Christine chuckling as she kissed his cheek.

At that comment they all laughed until their ribs were sore. Then Raoul pulled his daughter into a fatherly and loving embrace. Marie hugged him tightly, so glad that her beloved father and mother were there to see her married. She knew that not all girls were that lucky, her mother for one. Neither of her parents had not been alive to see her married. Though she had many who loved her there, such as Madame Giry, Marie knew that it couldn't possibly be the same. So she was incredibly thankful for her blessing. Then Christine joined the hug, and the happy moment lasted for several minutes, until the voice of Felix was heard.

"Oh, so this is where everyone is." he said, rubbing his eyes." I couldn't find any of you."

"Come join us darling." said Christine, lifting her arm to include Felix in the hug.

The family sat there for a few more minutes before breaking apart.

"Congratulations Marie, darling." said Raoul as he picked her up and spun her around the room, as the pairs of identical blue eyes sparkled with laughter.

Then the smell of blueberry muffins wafted in from the kitchen.

"Well I suppose Margaret is excited about your wedding, she's cooking blueberry muffins for you." said Christine, ushering them all down the stairs.

Marie walked swiftly toward the curving staircase, deciding to take a slide down the banister. After all, she wouldn't get to do it as often anymore. She had done it everyday since she was little when coming down to breakfast. She laughed as she remembered the times her entire family had slid down this banister. And she knew too, that Arthur also did this. She smiled completely elated at the thought of her husband to be, as she took a running start, and slid down the banister, the rest of the family following behind her.

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Arthur awoke a few hours after Marie, but with the same feelings of immense joy. He looked in the mirror at his rumpled hair and laughed. He needed to fix that. He couldn't believe that today was the day. He was finally going to marry the girl of his dreams. How he loved her, she lit up his life. Many a girl had tried to catch his eye, but none held a candle to his Marie Claire. She was the most amazing person he had ever met. And when she sang, it made him want to melt, the soprano voice souding like pure crystal. And he loved her family as well. Raoul and Christine had become like another set of parents to him, and Felix was like a little brother. But even as such blissful thoughts filled his head, Arthur couldn't help but wonder about the Phantom. Did he know of the wedding? And if so, would he try and prevent it? Arthur sighed as he thought of his former tutor. Yes, his voice had been enhanced by Erik, but in truth Arthur had never really trusted the man. Felt sorry for him, yes. Tried to offer frienship and compassion, yes. But trust, no. Arthur had never understood why Erik had begun to give him lessons, but he believed that it was because Erik grew tired of the horrible male voices that had entered the Opera since Piangi'sdeath. But now Erik loathed him. Loathed him for loving Marie, loathed him for befriending Raoul and Christine. How Erik expected people to live by those chains, Arthur didn't know. But Arthur had never been more than just a student to Erik, Erik had never trusted him enough to consider him a friend really. He was simply a protege, a protege who had gone against his teacher's wishes. Memories of two years ago filled Arthur's brain, and he had a light head rush. But he shook it off, thinking back to today. Why was he worrying about such things on the happiest day of his life? Thoughts of Marie Claire warmed him. Only a few more hours and they would be one in marriage. He smiled, his dark eyes lighting up. But still, as she stepped outside into the welcoming sunlight of the Parisian morning on his way to his parents house, he couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding.

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Erik paced about his lair, his mind spinning. He had tried to ignore the fact that the wedding was today, but he couldn't. The tumble of emotions seemed to make his blood race, his fury making it boil. He calmed himself with thoughts of his plan, the plan that would take the entire opera house by surprise and bring it to its knees. He sat at his organ, playing the notes to ' Music of the night.' Music was the only thing that soothed his fiery soul. Sweet music was always dependable. Perhaps, after his mission was accomplished he would write a new opera. He turned his thoughts toward the wedding. Yes, he had sworn that he wouldn't do anything to disrupt it, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't watch from the shadows.

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A/N: This is kind of a prep chapter to the wedding, which is the next chapter. I hope you like this. I'm so excited about this story, and where I want it to go. Get ready for some twists and turns! I'm really trying to get into all of the characters thoughts. Anyway, thank you for your reviews! Please keep them coming, they encourage me to keep writing. Oh and by the way, I solute all of my fellow RC fans out there, just thought I'd say that. I feel very bad for Erik, but I'm RC all the way! PS: So how many times have you guys watched the Phantom DVD? Gerard, Emmy, and Patrick are awseome! 


	4. Love United

A Strange Affair

Chapter 4: Love United

The last few hours had flown by in a hectic daze for everyone involved in the wedding. But now, the guests were seated and soft music began to play as Christine, in her soft, silvery colored dress was escorted to her seat by Phillipe and Arthur's mother was escorted to her seat by her husband. The two women hugged before going up the aisle as Moniseur Page' and Raoul shook hands. Christine blew Marie a kiss as she went. Then the flower girls, Arthur's eight year old nieces went up the aisle, throwing soft pink rose petals. Next went Felix, who was the ring bearer. He looked like a little gentlemen in his black suit, his golden brown hair was brushed neatly into place behind his ears, brown eyes completely focused on his task. Then went Lizzie, who looked radiant in her mint green maid of honor dress that matched her eyes. Marie Claire watched them all go as she took a peek at the guests. Meg, was seated next to her husband Jacque, and was dressed in an soft, icy blue dress. Madame Giry sat next to them, and had abandoned her usual black in honor of the occassion, and donned a dark burgundy dress. Andre and Firmin were also there, along with a large group of Marie's friends. Her grandmother, grandfather, and Uncle Phillipe were seated in the row behind Christine. She could also see Arthur's parents and his friends and family. Then she felt a warm hand come over hers, bringing her back to reality. What a pleasant reality it was.

"Marie Claire, darling its time to go." said Raoul, gazing at his daughter with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Marie stood up, hugging her father tightly.

"I love you papa, and thankyou for everything." she said in a loving whisper.

"I love you to my girl, and congratulations. I am so happy for you. And so proud of you." he said, kissing her forehead. " You look beautiful, like an angel. You look so much like you mother."

"Except I have your eyes." she said, smiling up at her father as she took his arm. She looked up at him, happy tears welling up in her eyes as she looked up at her father in his black tuxedo, his golden brown hair tied back in a tail with a black ribbon.

Then the music began to play, and the two winked at one another, as they walked up the aisle to where Arthur stood. Marie had a beautiful boquet of white and pink roses. The light gleamed in through the stained glass windows of the cathedral as bride and father walked up the aisle. Arthur's handsome face was lit up with a glowing smile as he watched Marie come down the aisle. His brown eyes were totally focused on her. He had never seen anyone so heavenly. Her long brown curls were were done half up half down, allowing most of them to fall down her back. Her veil fell halfway down her back, with tiny pearl beads at the end. Arthur was dressed in his black tuxedo, his curly, sandy colored hair tied back. He looked very dashing. They reached the end of the aisle and the priest spoke.

"Who gives this woman in marriage?" he asked.

"Her mother and I do." said Raoul clearly as he removed Marie Claire's veil from in front of her pretty face. He kissed her cheek and she smiled sweetly at him. He placed her hand in Arthur's, grinning at his son in law. Then he sat down next to Christine and put a warm arm around her shoulder. She took his hand in hers and held it tightly as she leaned in closely to him. Both smiled up at the altar, happy tears in their eyes. Up on the altar, Marie and Arthur gazed into each other's eyes, the sweet and passionate love very clear in them. The priest, who had known both families for years, smiled as he began the ceremony.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the blessed union of Arthur and Marie Claire. If anyone sees a reason why this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

No one among the guests of course had any sort of objection, but there was one uninvited person in the rafters who did. Erik had hidden himself conspicuously in the rafters of the cathedral, and under his breath he whispered, "I object." But no one of course, heard him, but they could not say that a thought of him did not pass through their minds. But it was only fleeting. The ceremony continued.

A special bible verse was read before the vows, one that the couple had chosen.

"Love is patient, love is kind, it is never jealous.."

Raoul and Christine smiled fondly as they listened, marveling at how perfect the verse summed up the couple's love. They also smiled at the memories, for this verse had been read at their wedding as well. As the verse was read, Marie and Arthur lovingly held the other's hand, and Arthur moved his thumb gently across the top of Marie's hand. The priest then turned to Marie Claire.

"Do you, Marie Claire de Chagny, take this man, Arthur Richard Page', to be your lawfully wedded husband, for better or for worse, through sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." said Marie, taking the golden band from Lizzie and putting it on Arthur's finger as she whispered, "I love you." Her blue eyes sparkled like the sun does on the ocean at midday.

"And do you, Arthur Richard Page', take this woman, Marie Claire de Chagny, to be your lawfully wedded wife, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." he said, as he took the ring from his best man William's hand, and slipped it on Marie Claire's finger, whispering, "I love you to." He gently squeezed her hand.

"Then, by the power vested in me by the Catholic Church, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." he said, smiling.

At these words, the couple looked into each other's eyes, each pair full of ecstacy as they became swept up in their first kiss as husband and wife. Arthur's lips met Marie's sweetly , but with passion. When they broke apart, Marie's smile glowed across her face, and Arthur's mysterious brown eyes lit up as brightly as the heaven's above. Marie took Arthur's arm as the tune of 'Ave Maria' began to play, both bride and groom's faces emanating with ultimate bliss. They were so in love, and it was showing clearly in their young faces.

They began to walk down the aisle, and Marie blew a kiss to her family, and Arthur waved at his. Once outside, they kissed again before being swept up in a hug by Raoul, Christine, Monsieur and Madame Page', Lizzie, and Felix. Then the wedding party and all the rest of the guests climbed into their carriages as the bells tolled and flowers and rice were thrown. They were on their way to the reception, which was being held at the only place that was appropriate. Why the new Opera Populaire of course! Marie and Arthur climbed into their carriage, holding each other's hand, and kissing once again. It was a glorious occassion, and it was the happiest that they had been. And as Raoul and Christine climbed into their carriage, any fears that they had about Erik seemed to dissappear for the moment, and the sun seemed to brighten, for the wedding had gone beautifully. But sadly, it was only for a little while, for as Erik watched the happy group, he was filled with determination to make his plan follow through. He was angry and filled with fury, even tough tears streamed down his cheeks. He didn't even know what to feel. He had forgotten how beautiful and full of love weddings were, he had never been shown that kind of love. But as he stalked off down the street, though feeling so desperate, lonely, and sad, he allowed his fury to take him over. If he could not be loved by choice, he would force them to love him. Wasn't that better than not being loved at all?

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A/N: So yay, the wedding! Isn't it sweet? I hope you like it, cause weddings are hard to write for some reason. The next chapter is the reception, so you get to see what Raoul and Christine's big surprise for Arthur and Marie is. I would like to thank Samantha, I am the Angel of Music, and all of my other reviewers. I really hope you like this, please read and review! 


	5. Reception surprises

A Strange Affair

Chapter 5: Receptions and Reactions

Marie and Arthur's carriage pulled up in front of the grand doors of the Opera Populaire as night was falling. There was a small spray of pink across the darkening blue, and as they climbed out, a shooting star went flew across the velvet sky. They walked towards the entrance and Arthur took Marie's hand, entertwining his fingers with her small ones. She gazed at his handsome, sweet face, hardly believing that this dream had come true. She was forever united with her love, never to be apart form him.

"Arthur?" asked Marie Claire softly.

"Yes, Marie Claire Page', my love?" He asked, smiling boyishly at her.

"I love you." she said as she looked into his dark, brown, feeling eyes.

"I love you to." He said, giving her another quick kiss before the mahogany doors opened wide in front of them.

A great cheer greeted them as they entered, and celebratory music echoed around the room. There were tables laden with all sorts of delectable treats and scrumptious wines and punches. They were greeted at the door by the wedding party and their parents, all of whom wore big smiles. Lizzie nearly squealed with delight as she hugged both Marie and Arthur at once.

"Congratulations you two! I'm so happy for you!" she exclaimed as she was led onto the dance floor by her fiance, William. "You looked beautiful Marie!"

Marie and Arthur laughed at their exhuberant friend as they were pounced upon by Felix, who jumped as he ran into their arms.

"Congratulations Marie and Arthur!" he said excitedly.

"Why thankyou Felix." said Arthur as he picked the little boy up and held him upside down for a moment.

"And," said Marie, chuckling, "You did a great job today."

Felix nodded seriously. " I know." he said, his youthful brown eyes filled with mirth.

Then Marie felt herself being picked up by a most familiar pair of strong arms. She turned to see the smiling blue eyes of her father as he swung her around.

"Congratulations Madame Marie Claire Page' !" he said as he kissed the top of her curly head.

"Oh papa I'm so happy. It was beautiful."

"Indeed it was. I just hope it was as perfect as you wanted it." he said, his blue eyes wide and hopeful.

"Believe me papa," she said, kissing him on the cheek, "It was."

"Well I certainly hope so." said Christine coming over to the group after chatting with Meg.

She hugged her daughter tightly for a moment, so glad that everything had gone so well and that Marie was so happy. It was all she had ever wanted. And Marie hugged her back lovingly, wanting her mother to know how much she loved her, and how thankful she was. Then the two released each other, and Marie went over to the Page's, and Arthur came over to them. Monsieur and Madame Page' hugged their new daughter in law warmly and welcomed her into the family. Raoul and Christine embraced Arthur, whom they had come to love dearly over the past two years, and teased him as they often did Felix. Then the young couple was led over to the table where the wedding party was seated. Raoul clinked his fork against his champagne glass, attracting the surrouding table's attention.

"Hello everyone, and welcome." he said, smiling broadly. "I would just like to make a toast before we begin. I have watched the love of these two blossom over the past two years and I hope that their lives together are full of blissful happiness. To Marie Claire and Arthur!"

"To Marie and Arthur!" they exclaimed.

Then they turned to the young couple.

"We have a surprise for you two." said Christine as she pulled out two boat tickets for a two week vacation in the Medditeranean. Marie's and Arthur's eyes widened with a pleasant shock.

"Thankyou!" they exclaimed at the same time.

"We thought you'd like it." said Christine, hugging the two.

"How can we ever thankyou?" asked Arthur, slightly dumbfounded.

"You don't have to." said Raoul, "You deserve it. Now let the celebration begin!"

And with that, the music began and everyone went out onto the dance floor. Arthur took Marie's hand and they began to dance their first dance as husband and wife. Arthur held Marie to him as they waltzed around the room, everything but the two of them fading into the background for the moment.

"I'm so happy Marie." said Arthur, gazing into her big, deep blue eyes, smiling fondly as he fiddled with one of her soft ringlets.

"Happily ever after." said Marie, laying her head on his chest.

Then they kissed, and the world seemed a brighter place. As Raoul and Christine observed them from across the room, they were filled with joy and contentment.

"They're so happy Raoul, everything went perfectly. Look at them." said Christine, chocolate eyes smiling.

"I know, and I'm so glad." he said as he kissed his sweet, beloved wife. "Are you happy?"

"Yes," said Christine, returning his kiss. "So very happy."

The party continued over the next hour or so, full of fun, laughter, and love. Andre and Firmin were, as usual, a little tipsy, Lizzie and Meg were busy planning Marie's wardrobe for the honeymoon cruise, while Madame Giry shook her head and laughed at them. Then it came time for the father daughter dance. As Marie walked towards her papa, she smiled as the pairs of identical blue eyes met. She curtseyed and he bowed and they began to dance.

"I love you Marie Claire, my girl." said Raoul with feeling, as he traced a finger down the side of her ivory face, remembering the day she was born.

"I love you to papa." she said as she hugged him. "And don't worry I'll only be a few miles down the road."

"I know, and that certainly makes me feel better." he said, a watery but happy smile on his face. "I'm just so glad to see you so happy."

But as these words left his mouth, the candles and lights in the room flickered and died. Marie grabbed Raoul's arm as he wrapped a protective arm around her. Then they heard the voices of Christine and Arthur near them, and Raoul took Christine's hand, while Arthur took Marie's. They all knew why those lights had gone out, and a chill went down their spines as a cold voice rang through the room.

"Take this as you first warning, Opera Populaire. I have returned."

Then the guests heard the soft swish of a cloak as the lights came back on. But as the Phantom turned to go, there was someone there blocking his way. The furious face of Madame Giry. 


	6. Telling Truths

A Strange Affair 

Chapter 6: Telling Truths

A/N: Hello everyone! Hope you liked the reception chapter. Thankyou for reviewing!

I am the Angel of Music: I'm glad you liked it. And, I do try to show Erik compassion, he's just a very difficult character to write. But I shall try harder in the future.

Guitarprincess: I'm glad you like it! I try to update fast. By the way, I loved your story, 'Love me Forever, that's all I ask of you.' It was beautiful! Its great to find other RC fans out there, cause RC rocks! I love it!

Samantha: Suspense around every corner! I'm glad you like it. Thankyou so much for your continued support!

Asia1st: I'm glad you like it. And sorry for the cheesiness, my characters aren't normally cheesy. I think it was just because there was a wedding, and weddings are cheesy. And thankyou for your idea. I've considered it before, and may decide to use, just not completely sure.

Chapter 6: Telling Truths

Erik's icy reserve and composure seemed to drop for a moment as he stared in shock at Madame Giry's furious face. Even to him, the Phantom of the Opera, her angry face looked formidable. He swished his black cloak behind him and looked at her, his face expressionless.

"Do you want something Catherine?" he asked stonily, his grayish eyes staring at her through his stark white mask.

"Yes Erik, in fact I do." she said, her voice eerily calm, and contrasting sharply from the look on her face. "Why have you done this, in the middle of Marie Claire's reception?"

"Well," he said smirking, "I thought it best to warn them. After all, they knew this was coming."

She glared at him, her green- grey eyes seemingly penetrating his mind.

"Why do you keep doing this Erik? You are only hurting both yourself and them! Why don't you try and look deeper and look to find what you are truly searching for to make you happy? I don't like seeing any of you hurt!" she said her voice shaky, but still rising ever so slightly.

"Since when do you care if I get hurt?" he whispered, his voice hard. But at seeing the look on her face he regretted his words slightly.

Madame Giry's heart and eyes blazed with both fury and pity.

"How can you say that to me? After I rescued you from those gypsies? After I befriended you?" she breathed, "I did not expect you to act this way." she said, the anger and sadness becoming clear in her voice.

"You betrayed me when you helped the Vicomte." he said turning from her.

"I simply wanted to help him Erik, he loves Christine and you had gone completely insane! Yes, I care for the de Chagny's very deeply, but I care for you to!" she yelled furious at him. "You speak of betrayal, when you betrayed me by acting the way you do and wreaking havoc on the opera house!" she said, trying to make him understand.

He didn't answer her, but stared at the wall in a tense silence.

"You say that there is no one who cares for you, but it isn't true. I do. And perhaps if you didn't treat people the way you do, they would understand you. I know the world has not been kind to you Erik, and you deserve to be happy, but you won't find happiness in trying to make others unhappy." she said, reganing her cool.

Her words struck him, but he didn't want to let her know that. It would indeed be a while before he took to heart the lesson that she was trying to teach him.

"You cannot be on both sides, you must choose. Good evening Madame." he said as he stalked past her, pulling his cloak up over his head.

She fumed and stared after him as she banged her came on the floor. Would he ever learn to listen? She shook her head, her heart filled with worry as she returned to the reception room to check on everyone else.

An uneasy air hung over the room as the lights came slowly back on. Everyone looked around to see if the source of the voice was anywhere to be found. But of course it wasn't, Erik had dissappeared into the night, without a trace. Needless to say the celebration ended quite abruptly after that. There were few more dances, in order not to end the party on such a negative note for Marie and Arthur, but they went by quickly, for everyone was rather shaken up. And as Raoul and Christine bid the guests goodbye, they watched Arthur and Marie, who were being congratulated by several people. Their faces were white, but they still had smiles on their face. As the last guests left, Christine turned to her husband, a serious look on her face.

"We have to tell them about the letter." she said as she leaned into him, needing to feel the warmth and security that she felt in his arms.

"I know, we obviously can't delay any longer." he said, pulling her close and holding her tightly for a moment. "I'll go talk to Arthur, while you go and tell Marie while you help her change. I'll see you in a bit." he said as he squeezed her hand gently.

"Good luck." she said, as they both tried to give each other a reassuring look.

A few minutes later, as Christine helped Marie into her traveling clothes, Marie's sweet voice broke the tense silence.

"Mama I want you to know that even though Erik has returned, this was still the happiest day of my life." she said quietly.

Christine sighed with apprehension, a tear sliding down her rosy cheek as Marie came up and hugged her tightly. Christine held her now so grown up daughter, her heart filled with such strong mother's love. And each soul was filled with the fear that they had hoped to never feel again.

"Marie sweetie, there is something that I need to tell you." she said as she gently brushed Marie's curls out.

Marie's muscles tensed up, knowing that she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear.

"There was a letter. It was on out doorstep the night that we went out to supper." Christine stopped, giving her daughter a chance to take it in.

Marie's heart beat rapidly at those words and her initial reaction was anger that she had not been told of this. But after thinking for a moment, she realized why her parents had waited to tell her. She wouldn't have wanted to know this before the wedding, it would only have worried her.

"We didn't want anything to overshadow your wedding." said Christine.

Marie nodded, smiling at her mother's concern.

"I understand. I'm actually rather glad I didn't know. Is that why you and Papa have been watching Arthur and I like hawks lately?" asked Marie with a nervous laugh.

Christine too laughed at this, feeling better now that she knew Marie was alright.

"Yes that would be it. Well I daresay that we'd best go outside Madame Page', I believe that your husband is waiting for you." said Christine with a sly smile, the cloudy sadness that had been in her brown eyes lifting for a moment as they returned to their normal brightness.

They walked out, arm in arm, understanding each other as only a mother and daughter could.

Meanwhile, Raoul was trying to talk to Arthur, who was staring at his father in law in shock. The news that the Phantom had already given two warnings was not something he wanted to hear.

"Why did this have to happen now, at such a happy time?" he asked as he began to pace up and down.

Raoul shook his head. "I don't know, but I was afraid that this was going to happen." he said as he rubbed his temples, feeling an oncoming headache." But I don't want you and Marie to spend your honeymoon worrying about this, I want you to enjoy it."

The young man stopped pacing and smiled at Raoul's concerned and kind words.

"You're right. I shouldn't be worrying now. It is after all, my wedding day." he said turning to look at Raoul's kind but distressed face. "Thankyou so much for everything , your family has become so important to me, and I promise to stand by all of you, no matter what happens."

Raoul grinned at these words.

"I know you will. And I know that you will take good care of my daughter. She will need your love, especially now." he said as he clapped Arthur on the shoulder.

"You can count on me." said Arthur, his heart alight at the thought of his beloved new wife, but heavy at the thought of Erik's return.

A few moments later, Marie and Christine emerged, Marie looking lovely in her soft pink traveling gown. She bid everyone a fond farewell, then turned to her parents. She embraced them and they bid each other a heartfelt goodbye.

Then the young couple climbed into the carriage as their dearest friends and family looked on. Both Christine and Madame Page' laughed through happy tears as they looked on. Raoul waved, tears coming to his own eyes as he held Christine in the circle of his arms.

Inside the carriage, Arthur held Marie to his chest, his arms around her small form. She rested against him, a contented feeling in her heart and soul. But as the memory of the Phantoms's harsh voice hit her, she shivered slightly.

"Arthur ," she asked quietly, "Are you afraid of what might happen?"

"Terribly," said Arthur solemnly, "Afraid of you getting hurt. But let us not let it ruin this day. I love you Marie Claire."

"I love you to." she said feeling better as she leaned in to kiss him.

Meanwhile as Christine and Raoul got into their carriage to go home, Felix bombarded them with questions about who the Phantom of the Opera was.

A/N: Hey, hope you like this! Phew, the wedding section is done! I loved writing it, but it was difficult. Anyway, there are many suprises in store, so please keep reading, and by all means please review! And yes I know, this chapter is very fluffy, but like I said before, I am a sap!


	7. A Mysterious Character

A Strange Affair. 

Chapter 7: A Mysterious Character

Christine and Meg sat upon the stage in the theater as they often did, waiting for Andre, Firmin, and Madame Giry to come in. It had been a week since the wedding, and Marie Claire and Arthur were due to return in a few days. The two had been chatting about the wedding, but as was inevitable, the conversation fell on the Phantom 's return. Meg's blue eyes darkened slightly as she brought up the subject.

"Christine, I've been wondering, are you alright? I mean to say, the Phantom has returned. Are you worried?" she asked concerned.

The sunny smile fell from Christine's dainty features as those words reached her ears. She looked up at her dearest friend's worried face and sighed.

"I just don't want to be trapped in that darkness again Meg. I don't want to lose my family, that I came so close to losing two years ago." she said as a slight shiver ran across her back. "I'm just so happy now Meg, and I want to keep it. Is that so wrong?" she asked, her dark eyes pleading for an answer.

"No," said Meg sincerely, "Its not. You were so unhappy for those years after your father died Christine, you deserve to be happy now." she said as she hugged her friend. "Raoul seems very worried about you as well."

"He is. He's so worried about Marie and I that I catch him pacing around the room, rubbing his head. He has tried so hard to understand Erik, but its getting harder, after all that has gone on over the past two years. He just wants to protect us, and I know Arthur feels the same way." said Christine, her voice brimming with emotion, "I don't know what I'd do without Raoul, I love him so much. He and the children brought the light back into my life, the light that was extinguished when my father died. The light that burned out when I found that there was no angel of music. I'm so afraid Meg. All I want is for Erik to realize my love for Raoul and Marie's love for Arthur, and leave us alone. Then perhaps he will find his own happiness."she said, her voice tremulous.

Meg put her hand on her friend's shoulder in a comforting fashion, but before she could open her mouth to speak, Lizzie came running up to them.

"Mama, Christine! Andre and Firmin have hired a new vocal intructor!" said Lizzie, breathless with a curious excitment.

"They did?" asked Meg with a puzzled expression, "Who is it?

"I didn't catch his name," answered Lizzie, "But he seemed like a quiet, covert sort of person. A bit of an odd fellow. But it was very sad, his house caught fire, and he recieved third degree burns," I heard Andre and Firmin say, "So he has to wear a bandage on his face for three months!"

"Oh that's awful!" said Christine, eyes wide.

Then the doors came open and the managers came in, along with the new man.

"Oh here they are now." said Christine. She was feeling uneasy as she gazed at the new man, but she didn't know why. She shook her head. She was being overly worried.

Everyone gathered around the managers as they introduced the man. He was tall and slim, with brown hair to his shoulders. He looked like he was aging rather rapidly, but he didn't look old. He was dressed quite well, in a brown suit, but a bandage covered part of his face, and his hair hung down in his face. He bowed to the cast as he entered.

"Everyone, this is our new vocal intructor, Pierre Moncharmin. He will be helping Monsieur Reyer with the vocal instruction for this production of 'Roberto le Diable.' " announced Firmin as he made his way over to where Christine and Meg were standing.

"Monsieur Moncharmin, this is Madame Meg, and her daughter Madmoiselle Elizabeth. They are the daughter and granddaughter of our ballet mistress, Madame Giry, and are our prima ballerinas." he said smiling.

"Pleased to meet you Madame, Madmoiselle." said Moncharmin politely as he kissed each of their hands.

"And this is the Vicomtess Christine de Chagny, our leading soprano for many seasons now." said Andre proudly.

"I have heard your angelic voice before Madame, it sounds so lovely." he said as he kissed her hand.

"Thankyou very much Monsieur. Perhaps we can work to make the music of this production even more phenomenal than usual." she said, curtseying politely. But inside something felt wrong. This man reminded her of someone that she didn't want to be reminded of, not because of the bandage on his face, but because of the angry look in his eyes.

"Our other leading soprano, Christine's daughter Marie Claire will be returning in a few days. " said Firmin, "She is on her honeymoon with our leading tenor, Arthur Page'."

What seemed a forced half smile appeared on the man's face.

"How lovely. Well I cannot wait until I have the pleasure of meeting them. They have excellent voices. In fact Madame de Chagny, I must say, your daughter sounds just like you, it must run in the family." he said, his gaze resting on Christine.

Just then, the door to the theater came open and Raoul came in with Felix laughing by his side.

"Oh there you are Raoul," said Firmin, smiling as he turned to Moncharmin," Monsieur Moncharmin, this is our head patron, The Vicomte de Chagny. Raoul, this is our new vocal instructor, Pierre Moncharmin."

Raoul bowed and shook the man's hand, a curious grin on his face. But as the man shook his hand, the grip felt tight and his gaze seemed cold. Raoul was a little startled by this, but greeted the man with enthusiasm nonetheless.

"I am pleased to meet you monsieur. I am sure that you will work to make the singing of this production magnificent. Welcome." said Raoul.

"Thankyou Monsieur le Vicomte, I appreciate your confidence." said Moncharmin, smiling a smirkish smile. "So, I take it that you are Madame de Chagny's husband and young Marie Claire's father?"

"Yes," said Raoul, becoming uncomfortable under the man's harsh gaze. "I am." he said as he felt Christine gently take his hand. She to seemed taken aback by this man.

"Well I had best be going. I will see you all in a few days." said Moncharmin. And with that, he swept on his hat and headed towards the door.

"Well," said Andre as he handed out scripts, "I believe that is all for today. We will see you all later."

People began milling around, talking to one another as they made their way towards the doors. Raoul and Christine bid their goodbyes to everyone as they walked outside with Felix. But as they did, they heard a frantic yell. They looked back inside to see the chandelier being moved up and down, and the lights flickering. They had to usher stunned Andre and Firmin out of the theater before they were injured. Everyone gathered in a huddle as they heard a laugh ring out across the room.

"Remember there are worse things than a shattered chandelier!"

Then the chandlier stopped moving, and everything returned to a seemingly normal state.

"What the hell was that!" yelled Andre. "Dam, if I'm not tired to death of this Phantom buisness!"

Firmin nodded, still shell shocked.

"I think," said Madame Giry wisely, "That we should all go home."

All noddded and made their way quickly out of the opera house. Christine held Raoul's hand tightly as they walked, and he squeezed it, trying to reassure her. Felix walked silently by their sides, scared of what had just happened. Christine put her arm around him, trying to make him feel better.

"Christine my darling are you alright?" asked Raoul sweetly.

She smiled at him and kissed him softly, Felix saw this and made a face.

"I'll be alright. Just a bit startled is all." she said in a whisper. She didn't want to say anything about the Phantom, for fear that it might scare Felix. He was after all, only ten.

Raoul rubbed his thumb over the top of Christine's hand that he held secure in his own, trying to calm her. The warm summer breeze blew around them, as if it to, were trying to soothe them.

"Don't forget my love, that I am here for you, to guard you and to guide you." he said warmly as he winked at her.

"I will never forget it, love." said Christine feeling a little better, as she always did when she was with Raoul. He made her feel so warm, so safe, so loved. With him, she was always her true self. "What did you think of the Monsieur Moncharmin?" she asked.

"Well he seems like he knows quite a bit about opera, so I'm sure he will do an excellent job." said Raoul, "But he seems a bit cold, not really a people person."

"It does seem that way, he made a bit uneasy. But he seems to be quite well versed in opera. Raoul, do you think that you could stay in the theater during rehearsals over the next few weeks? I know you already do most of the time, but on the other days could you perhaps stay in there to?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course dear." he said, his blue eyes worried. "I'd be glad to. I'll stay in the theater instead of going to the office with Andre and Firmin. I love sitting in on rehearsals. I just hope that Madame Giry dosen't kick me out, as she often does Andre and Firmin." he said laughing.

Both Christine and Felix laughed at this comment. How true that was.

"I'm sorry for being so overly paranoid." said Christine. "I would just feel better knowing that you were there. And I think that Marie will too, when she finds out about this chandelier incident."

"You're not being overly paranoid." said Raoul comfortingly, "After all that our family had been through, you have a right to be worried. You are the bravest woman I know for going through all of this. After all, we must be careful."

She gazed up at him again, her soul warming at his words. She brushed a stray golden brown hair from his face. She loved him so.

"Mama, Papa?" Felix suddenly piped up, "Who is that Phantom of the Opera?"

Raoul and Christine looked at each other, knowing that they had to tell him.

"Its a very long story my boy, but you need to know." said Raoul seriously, "But do you think that you can wait until morning?" asked Raoul tiredly.

"Yes," said Felix " I can."

Christine smiled at their son as she touseled his hair. He laughed, and ran towards the de Chagny estate, which was coming nearer. Raoul and Christine ran after him, laughing themselves, having no idea that they were being watched.

Erik turned from his posistion watching the de Chagnys. Playing this double role as Moncharmin and himself would prove to be difficult, but it would work perfectly as a part of his perfect plan. And it appeared that young Felix was now wondering who he was. He knew that playing this double role would confuse them immensly, and would prevent them from finding out that he was actually Moncharmin. It was a perfectly constructed plan, and now it was in motion. The de Chagny family was going to be wrapped around his finger. Or so he hoped anyway.

A/N: I am so sorry that I took so long to update, I had exams, and I had to do community service work at my cathedral parish festival. But yay, I'm through with school for the summer. Yay I'll be a senior next year! Anyway, I hope that you like this chapter. I am so excited about this story! And thankyou so much to all of my reviewers! By the way, Marie and Arthur will be returning in the next chapter, Yay!

TheTrinityJ- Isn't suspense great?(lol) I'm writing rapidly! Sorry for the long delay in updating!

msmistoffelees- Thank you for reading, I love getting new reviewers! Get ready, there is a lot more to this story.

Samantha- Thanks. Ya I really wanted the wedding scence to go well, I didn't want to ruin it for Marie and Arthur, so I put the Phantom in at the reception.That way it went well for them, and it wasn't cliche. I'm glad you like it!

I am the Angel of Music- I never really knew what Madame Giry's first name was, but Catherine seemed to suit her, so I used it.Thankyou so much for supporting my story, it is much appreciated.

Guitarprincess- I am glad you liked it! Yay, I love RC. RC forever and always.

Blaze-LoganLover- Yay, a new reviewer! I'm glad that you like it.


	8. A return and a deception

A Strange Affair 

Chapter 8: A Return and a Deception

A/N: Hi everyone! I would just like to point out that its supposed to be obvious to the reader who Moncharmin is, but it is not as obvious to the characters. Erik has disguised himself very well. Its just a bit of dramatic irony. And its also very deceptive to the characters since Erik is playing both Moncharmin and himself. I promise that all of this will make sense in the end. Anywho, on with the story!

The wheels of the carriage and the horses hooves splashed through the puddles of morning dew and Marie Claire and Arthur returned to Paris. It was early morning and the sun was just rising over the city buildings. The couple lay contentedly in each other's arms, Marie's head upon Arthur's chest, thinking about the fun and romance that they had experienced on their honeymoon. Moonlit walks, sandy horseback rides, and just being together. The time had been pure bliss, with the sun always shining on the aqua waters of the Medditeranean. And though the two were glad to be coming up, a dark shadow hovered over their return. The shadoe of course, being the return of the Phantom. But both were jerked out of their reveries as the sound of the wheels crunching on gravel, as the carriage pulled up in front of Arthur's red brick Tudor house. Arthur helped Marie out of the carriage with a glowing smile on his face. Then he picked her up in his arms and carried her into the house.

"Arthur what are you doing?" asked Marie, her sweet laugh ringin through the front hall.

"Sweeping you off your feet." grinned Arthur, kissing her curly head. " We'd better hurry and freshen up, we're due at your parent's house in an hour."

"They said that they have some news for us." said Marie Claire as she gave him a kiss." I wonder what it is?" she wondered as she made her way up the stairs to change.

But as the couple rushed to get ready, a pair of grey eyes watched them from behind the willow trees, his heart clenching and his mind ticking.

About and hour later, Marie and Arthur rode up the graveled path of the de Chagny estate on a Arthur's pair of beautiful bay horses. They found everyone in the back deck, where Christine was intently reading a book, and Raoul was teaching Felix to fence. All three were so focused on what they were doing that they didn't notice Marie Claire and Arthur sneak up behind them. Both cleared their throats loudly, so as to scare everyone. A rather comical sight followed. Christine jumped from her seat in a very unlady like fashion, and Raoul and Felix both dropped their fencing swords and fell on the grass.

"Hello everyone." said Marie, her blue eyes alight with laughter." We're home." she said, as Arthur fought to contain his laughter.

"Well," said Christine, laughing herself, "You scared the daylights out of me."

She came over an hugged Arthur, and then Marie tightly, very glad to see them. Marie embraced her mother warmly. She was glad to see that she was alright, for she had worried so much about her since Erik's return.

"Welcome home you two." said Christine smiling, her heart filled with joy at the sight of her daughter's obvious happiness.

Felix then came over and hugged both Arthur and Marie at once, not bothering to brush himself off after he had fallen in the grass. Raoul, who did bother to brush himself off, followed his son, an excited grin on his face. He shook his son in law's hand warmly, and then proceeded to spin Marie around, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Well I must say that you two look awfully tan from your trip. Did you have a good time?" asked Raoul as he took a seat next to Christine, kissing her sweetly before he sat down.

"It was splendid." said Arthur, his tone light and happy.

" Yes it was," said Marie sincerely, "I don't think I've ever had that much fun, or relaxation for that matter."

"Thankyou so much for that trip," said Arthur gratefully. "I needed it."

"Anything for the two of you." said Christine, her smile lighting up her beautiful face.

Marie took a sip of her honey filled tea, as something occured to her.

"What was it that you wanted to tell us?" she asked, looking up.

"Oh yes." said Christine. "Andre and Firmin have hired a new vocal instructor for this opera. A bit of an odd man really, but he seems to have a great knowledge of music."

"And he seemed quite anxious to meet you both." said Raoul.

"I wonder if I've seen him before?" asked Arthur, his brow furrowed in thought. "What is his name?"

"Pierre Moncharmin." said a deep voice behind him.

All five of them jumped in their seats at the unexpected voice.

"Excuse me for intruding, but I saw that everyone appeared to be home, so I decided to stop by. I thought it best to introduce myself to Madame and Monsieur Page' before opening rehearsal tommorow." said Moncharmin slowly.

There was an awkward silence for a moment, until Raoul broke the ice.

"Monsieur Moncharmin, what an unexpected surprise. Please, take a seat." said Raoul pulling up a chair.

"I'm sorry for showing up so unexpectedly like this." apologized Moncharmin as he sat down.

"It is quite alright Monsieur, we often have unexpected visitors." said Christine, trying to smile. But something about this man still troubled her. She shook her head slightly. She didn't know why she felt this way, he seemed like a perfectly nice man. "These are the two people you are so anxious to meet. This is Arthur Page' and this is his wife, my daughter, Marie Claire Page'." she said as she gestured towards them.

Moncharmin stood up and shook Arthur's hand firmly, an eerie half smile on his face. Then he turned to Marie Claire and kissed her hand lightly as she curtseyed.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Monsieur," said Marie, "I cannot wait to see what you will bring to this production."

"Yes," said Arthur, agrreeing. "Neither can I."

"Thankyou for your confidence." said Moncharmin. He could hardly believe that he was here, sitting on the de Chagny's back deck, having completely fooled them. "However I should think that we should be very careful during this opera, what with the return of this Phantom fellow." he said, looking around at all of them to see their reaction.

The atmosphere seemed to become automatically more tense. Christine inched her chair closer to Raoul's as he took her hand in his. Arthur and Marie did the same. Erik had to fight off his urge to laugh. It was clear that the mention of this name struck a fear in them. But it was not a fear of him exactly, but a fear of losing each other. He had found their weakness.

"How do you know of the Phantom?" asked Raoul, looking at the man, and inquiry in his blue eyes.

"Oh, I've just heard the rumors about him around the opera house, about Paris, at the other opera houses I've been to. And I wasn't quite out the door the other day when that chandlier incident occured." said Moncharmin in a nonchalant tone. "I've heard it said that he is a demon. Some say that he is immortal."

"No he's not." said Marie abruptly. "He's a lonely and desperate man gone mad. Completley mad. He is a man, no matter what even he himself thinks." she said, her voice a bit shaky. Talk of Erik always brought back bad memories for her, memories that she didn't want to think about.

"So do not believe the rumors that you may hear Monsieur," said Christine firmly. "He is nothing but a man." she said, leaning in closer to Raoul, who put his arm around her comfortingly as he kissed her forehead. She smiled up at him, the twinkle coming back into her eyes.

Erik had to fight to keep up his facade. It was very interesting to hear others talk about him when he was sitting right there.

"Monsieur you must be careful, though he is a man he is nevertheless dangerous." said Arthur seriously.

"Yes, "said Raoul, his tone grave. "We should all be very aware of our surroundings. He tends to show up when least expected. But it is not wise to act rashly when he appears."

"I shall watch my step." said Moncharamin, smiling smirkishly as he nodded. "Well I should be on my way. I shall see you all tommorow. Thankyou for your hospitality." he said, bowing as he walked slowly out of the gate. And as soon as he was out of sight, he let out a small laugh and dropped a letter on their front doorstep. But he still found it odd how different they all seemed when he was just talking to them in a normal setting. But he was almost positive that he had fooled them completely. This was working out perfectly. Yes, just perfectly.

Later that night, as Felix came in from playing in the yard with his golden retriever Max, he came upon a strange looking envelope, with a curious skull seal. He broke the seal, curious to see what was inside. One thin sheet of paper was revealed.  
'Beware of the gala night,  
O.G.'

Felix inhaled sharply. This, he decided, must be from the Phantom that his parents had told him about the other day, the same one who had caused the chandelier incident the other day. Not wanting to disturb his parents, who had retired early, he slid the note under their door, with a note attached saying that he had found it. Inside the room, Christine and Raoul had fallen asleep in each other's arms, having been exhausted from all of the worry over the past two weeks. But both found solace in each other. Felix smiled as he walked from his parents room, he loved them so much. But worry still seemed to plague the little boy' s heart. He knew that his parents, his sister, Arthur, and everyone at the opera seemed worried about this Phantom.And he began to worry to.

A/N: Thankyou for all of your reviews everyone! I appreciate all comments and support. Please excuse any mistakes or typos in this chapter, I had to type it fast because I'm going out of town for a few days!  
Love, Kchan

Please read and review, I hope that you like this!


	9. An encounter

A Strange Affair

Chapter 9: An encounter

The next day at rehearsal, Raoul sat in the theater as he had promised. No one seemed to question this, for all seemed to know why he was there. It was common knowledge around the opera house about what had happened between the de Chagny family and the Phantom. The return of the Phantom had struck a fear in everyone at the opera house, and there was a tense feeling in the air. Raoul smiled over at Felix who was sitting beside him, paying a rapt attention to the rehearsal, which was strange for a fidgety ten year old boy. In fact, Raoul thought, Felix had been acting strangely all day. He had come to work with Raoul at the law office, constantly asking questions about the Phantom. This was after he had been interrogating Christine about the same topic all morning. It seemed that since the Phantom ahd returned, Felix had become incredibly curious about it. But Raoul's worry about this had increased when he had seen the letter on the dining room table this morning. It was clear that Felix had read it. Raoul had sincerely hoped that Felix would not have had to find out about the Phantom until he was much older. He didn't want his son to be frightened or hurt by any of Erik's actions. It also worried him that Felix might be so curious as to go looking for the Phantom. Felix was very intelligent, yes, but young boys tend to let their curiosity get the better of them. Raoul did not like the fact that Felix seemed to be quite worried about the situation. He put an arm around his son's shoulder.

"Are you alright my boy?" he asked, looking down at Felix's boyish face.

"I'm fine papa, I'm just a little scared of that letter I found on the doorstep last night, that's all." said Felix as leaned over to hug his father.

"I know." said Raoul, hugging his son tightly. "But I promise that it will be okay, just don't go walking about the opera alone, alright?"

"Alright." said Felix quietly, as father and son turned their attention to the stage.

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Up on the stage, Madame Giry, Reyer, and Moncharmin were working the cast to the bone. The ballet girls looked exhausted, the chorus like they never wanted to sing again, and the main characters like they were about to pass out. Moncharmin especially seemed anxious to get every note perfect down perfectly. The rehearsal had gone on for three hours and Marie Claire's throat was aching from singing. But she had to admit, the long rehearsal had allowed them to completely perfect th first two scenes of the opera. As the music started up once again, the most familiar notes soared through the air, and the dancing girls, Lizzie among them, fell into their now memorized steps. Though she was tired, Christine smiled as she sang, the notes spreading warmth through her body after the cold fear that the latest letter had brought this morning. But each time it came to her mind, she looked out at the theater at Raoul's face and she was reassured. Then the music ended and Madame Giry finally announced the end of rehearsal. Most of the cast hurried out, as though afraid that she would change her mind. Moncharmin made his way over to where Christine, Marie, and Arthur were standing.

"Bravo, that was an excellent rehearsal my friends." he said as he bowed to them, his cold gaze resting on their faces. "But I daresay that you are exhausted."

"I would say so." said Arthur, rubbing his throat. "That was quite a long rehearsal."

"It was," said Christine tiredly, as Raoul and Felix came up behind them. "But singing is always refreshing."

"Well I supposse you all should be on your way home now. I shall see you tommorow." said Moncharmin, turning to go.

"Thankyou for your excelent instruction." said Marie Claire sincerely as she took Arthur's hand.

He turned around. "You are most welcome Madame." he said,walking out rather quickly. He made his way through the lavish halls of the opera house, but then he stopped just outside the Mahogany doors, hiding himself conspicuously. He watched them as he removed his constraining disguise. It was interesting to watch the group interact with each other, and indeed how close thehy were to each other.

The group made thier way towards the grand doors, Raoul kissed his daughter on the cheek, clapped Arthur on the back, and then took Christine's hand in his. Christine smiled up at him, her eyes silently thanking him for sitting in during rehearsal. It was clear that all four of them were relieved that one more rehearsal had gone by without any interuption from the Phantom. They all smiled and talked as they walked through the ornately decorated halls. But before they could take their leave, they were stopped at the bottom of the marble stairs by Andre and Firmin. Felix, who could tell that this was going to be a long conversation, went and sat on the sunlit stone steps outside the opera house. Felix liked Andre and Firmin, they just tended to have incredibly long winded conversations with his parents, sister, and Arthur, and Felix just didn't feel like listening to adult talk today. He brushed his honey colored hair out of his face, smiling at the bustling city around him. One thing was for sure, not even a ten, almost eleven year old boy could get bored in Paris. Then his keen young eyes suddenly caught sight of swishing cloak, turning away from the opera house entrance. Felix felt cold all of a sudden, and he was quite sure he knew who was beneath the cloak. He turned to go inside the opera house and warn his family, but before he could, he felt an icy hand on his shoulder. He turned to see the face of the legendary masked man smirking before him.

"Bonjour young Monsieur de Changy. " said Erik slyly.

Felix's eyes widened slightly as he wriggled out of the man's grip. He backed slowly away, but Erik merely followed.

"So I see that you have become quite the curious one about me young Felix." said the Phantom, still smirking.

"Stay away ffffrom me." stammered Felix as he bravely put up his small fists in self defense.

Erik chuckled at this as he swished his cloak behind him. "I won't harm you Felix, I only thought to introduce myself." said Erik, taking Felix's chin in his hand and looking into his eyes.

"Let go." said Felix,trying to struggle Erik's ironlike grip, but his efforts were futile.

"You have your mother's eyes," said Erik slowly, " And your father's stubborness."

Then a deep voice was heard behind them. "Let my son go." it was Raoul, who had come out to look for Felix, for fear that something exactly like this would happen.

Erik whipped around instantly drawing his sword, as though out of instinct. It clanged against Raoul's, which was already drawn. It seemed as though there was going to be a duel, right there on the front steps of the opera house. But just then, Marie Claire's voice rang through the air behind them.

"Papa, Felix! What's going on!" she asked, picking up her skirts and running up to them and looking Erik straight in the eyes. " Erik, what are you doing, leave my brother and father alone!" she said stiffly, the anger clear in her voice.

"Ah, Madame Page," he said bitterly, as the two swords clanged together once more, "What a pleasure to see you."

Felix, at seeing Marie Claire, ran to her, and she scooped her brother up in her arms, her heart pulsating rapidly. This couldn't be happening, not again. Just then, a large group of people, including Meg, Lizzie, and Christine piled out of the opera house. Erik rested his gaze on Christine, and seeing the look of anger, fear, sadness, and pity on her face somehow made him realize that this was not the time for this, he would have to wait. He let out a slight growl. He swung at Raoul one last time purely out of spite.

"I shall see you again Vicomte." he spat.

Raoul looked Erik in the eye. "Stay away from my family." he said, sheathing his sword. "I will not see them hurt."

"Insolent fool." Erik said, shooting a fiery glance at Arthur and the other's who were standing there. He wrapped his cloak about him, and glancing one last time at Marie and Christine, he dissappeared.

Raoul immediatley turned to Felix, and hugged him tightly.

"Are you alright my son?" he asked, his blue eyes concerned.

Felix nodded. "It was just a little unnerving, that's all." he said shakily.

"I don't doubt that." said Arthur, his eyes wide as he hugged Felix. "Are you alright Raoul?"

Raoul nodded, removing his jacket in summer heat. "I'm alright, I was expecting something like this to happen." he turned to the stunned group before him. "Is everyone alright?"

They all nodded, but still looked quite shaken. Then Madame Giry stepped forward.

"We shall all have to be very careful over the next few weeks, but for now, I believe we should all go home." she said wisely.

They all nodded. As the group dispersed Christine came over to her son. "Felix are you alright darling?" she asked in a whisper as she hugged him.

Felix nodded as he buried his face into his mother's soft dress, taking in her comforting scent of fresh flowers.

"I think it would be best if you didn't wander alone again." she said seriously. "In fact, I think it best that none of us wander alone."

"I agree." said Raoul as Christine came over to him, and kissed him gently. He smiled, kissing her back. She always managed to make the dark situations seem better.

And then, after making sure that her family was alright, Marie kissed them all goodbye and she and Arthur waved, and began to walk down the sidewalk, as the sun began to set behind them. Lizzie and William followed them, as they were going dinner at Arthur's house. Then Christine, Raoul, Felix, Meg, her husband, and Madame Giry climbed into Raoul's carriage. Raoul started the white horses off towards the de Chagny estate, as each person's mind and heart were filled with questions and with worries, the letter about the gala night prominent among them.

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A/N: Hey everyone, sorry about the long delay. I came down with the stomach flu for a week and could barely move, so I didn't have the energy to sit at the computer. But anyway, I hope that you like this chapter. I thought that it was time for Felix to meet the Phantom face to face. So please read and review, I hope you like!

mrmistoflees- Thanks for reading. Oh, and he's not trying to warn Felix, Felix just happened to be the one to find the letter. And the Phantom left the letter so as to confuse them. He hopes that their attention will be so focused on the Phantom's antics, that anything that his alter ego Moncharmin does will unnoticed. It helps to further convince them that Moncharmin is not the Phantom. as for what will happen on the gala night, you will find out in then next chapter!

Eponine- Thankyou for your help, I can always use it. I really want to work to make this story original, so I hope that you like my next chapter better.

Guitarprincess- Thankyou so much! Yay RC!

I am the Angel of Music- Thanks for reviewing, and yes, I did take the name Moncharmin from Leroux, I think its an interesting name.

Samantha- Thankyou for reviewing, I try to update quickly just for you.

Asia 1st- Thanks! 


	10. A fateful evening

A Strange Affair

Chapter 10: A fateful evening

A/N: Thankyou so much for your reviews, I hope you like this! You never know what night happen during a gala! Oh, and something I thought that I'd point out: I know Erik is very OOC as Moncharmin, but that is the entire point. He's trying to fool all of the other characters, and trying to hide his real identity as the Phantom. Just wanted to clear up any confusion. On with the story!

The weeks had passed with no further interruption from the Phantom, save a few strange but harmless incidents around the opera house. Moncharmin had continued to work his magic on the performers, and the singing in this production was turning out to be flawless. The tickets were completely sold out for the opening night, and the gala night was being approached with a tense excitement. And as Raoul de Chagny walked backstage to Christine's dressing room, he could feel it. He grinned through his worries though. He always found it amusing to watch the chaos ensue before a performance, as it always did. He rapped lightly on the oak door of his beloved wife's dressing room and waited for her answer.

"Who is it?" she answered.

" Your secret admirer." he teased.

" Oh well then please enter monsieur." she said, laughing.

Raoul entered the room, a bouquet of pink roses in his arms. He always picked out pink because he thought that they matched the lovely pink tint of Christine's cheeks. He handed her the flowers and her eyes lit up as she placed them in their special place on her dressing table.

"I would say that your admiration is not so secret." she said teasingly, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth as she kissed the familiar lips lovingly.

"Well that's alright, I'd rather let the whole world know how much I love you." he said, returning the kiss with equal the love and passion.

As Christine began to put the finishing touches to her stage makeup a dark thought clouded her mind.

"Raoul, do you think that Erik will follow through on his warning?" she asked, her smile faltering, and her voice slightly shaky.

"He's not a man to break his word," said Raoul gravely. " I don't know what he's planning, but I do know that I want you to be careful out there." he said, pulling her to him.

"Don't worry, I will." she said determindley, bravery in her voice, as her chocolate eyes looked up into his ocean blue ones.

He smiled as he kissed her soft lips once again. "Everything will be okay, I promise. Don't ever forget that I'm here to guard you and to guide you." he whispered.

"I won't." she said, smiling, feeling reassured at his words. He always seemed to have a calming effect on her.

"Well I had best go and bid good luck to my other prima donna, and then go and find my seat. I daresay that Felix, my parents, Phillipe, and Jacque(A/N: Meg's husband) are waiting for me." said Raoul, turning to go.

"Alright. I shall see you after the show, my love." said Christine, smiling at her husband as she turned to finish getting ready.

"Break a leg." said Raoul as he closed the door behind him. He turned to find himself face to face with Moncharmin.

"Well good evening Moniseur le Vicomte." said Moncharmin, bowing slightly.

"Good evening Moniseur Moncharmin," said Raoul cordially, a slight smile on his face. "Are you looking forward to the performance?"

"Yes, it should be quite breathtaking if all goes well. I love going to the opera, but it is especially exciting to be a part of it." he said as he adjusted the sleeve of his grey jacket. "Are you on your way to your seat?"

"Actually I was on my way to wish Marie Claire good luck." said Raoul, his eyes looking down the hallway to where his daughter's dressing room was.

"Ah, I was just on my way there as well," said Moncharmin, his dark brown hair covering the greater part of the bandage on his face. "Shall we?" he asked gesturing down the hall towards Marie's dressing room.

"Of course," said Raoul, beginning to walk towards the room. "I must say monsieur, that you have done an astounding job with this performance. I am looking quite forward to hearing all the performer's beautiful voices."

Erik couldn't help but let a half smile slip onto his face. He had to admit, this opera house had never heard such astonishing voices. At least the Vicomte had a taste for music. Erik had never known that before.

"Thankyou Vicomte. Music is after all, my love. And I am priviledged to have been able to work with such talented and experienced singers." he said as they reached Marie's door. " By the way Vicomte, have you heard anything from that Phantom fellow lately?" he asked slyly.

"We've recieved a few letters, but that's all. But we're keeping our eyes open, especially after that incident a few weeks ago, with my son outside the opera house." said Raoul, paling slightly, his voice clearly worried as he knocked on the door. "Marie sweetie, its papa, may I come in?"

"Of course." answered Marie eagerly.

Raoul opened the door, and Marie ran to him as she had since she was little, and Raoul swept her up into a hug. Her blue eyes sparkled at him as he handed her the signature bouquet of yellow roses. He had called her 'sunshine' when she was little, so now he always gave her yellow roses. She sat them next to a bouquet of white roses, which were presumably from Arthur. Erik took note that there were no red roses given in this family.

"Hello papa, Monsieur Moncharmin. What a pleasant surprise!" said Marie, smiling excitedly at them.

"I just came to wish you good luck darling." said Raoul, checking his watch. "I know that you will all do a fantastic job. And..." he whispered in her ear, "Like I told Mama and Arthur, be wary of what's going on around you."

"Don't worry papa, I will." she said seriously, "I love you."

"I love you to sunshine. I'd best get to my seat, break a leg." he said, grinning at his daughter as he closed the door behind him.

As Raoul left, Moncharmin bowed slightly to Marie Claire. "Madame Giry sent me to tell you to come out as soon as you are ready. It is twenty minutes until curtain call."

"Thankyou Monsieur." said Marie, standing up and taking one last look in the mirror. "Actually I'm ready now. So I'd best be going, before Madame Giry comes looking for me." she laughed.

"Ah, then I shall escort you. After all, you shouldn't be wandering about alone in this opera house. I believe that Arthur and Madmoiselle Elizabeth are waiting for you." he said as he opened the door.

Marie smiled and curtseyed politley after Moncharmin left her with Arthur and Lizzie, having no idea of his deception of everyone at the Opera Populaire.

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As the curtain rose for the opening scene, the audience held it's breath in excitement. For not only did this show star Marie and Arthur Page', but also Christine de Chagny, who had been missed very much during the last performance. As the opera began, Arthur stood in his posistion backstage, waiting to go on. He saw several guards placed at the doors and sighed exasperatedly. Andre and Firmin had insisted on placing them there for fear of the Phantom making an appearance. They had done this much to the chagrin and protest of everyone else involved. The two had apparently not learned their lesson on the night of Don Juan all those years ago. Yes, Arthur cared a great deal about Andre and Firmin, but it was true, they could sometimes be incredibly stubborn. But he shook his head free of those thoughts and focused on the task ahead. He watched his beloved Marie Claire on the stage, hardly believing that they had been married for almost three months now. His ears loved hearing the beautiful sounds of Marie and Christine singing together. The sound was as crystal clear as glass and and pure as a white rose. As he stood there he felt a light tap on his shoulder, and turned to see Lizzie smiling broadly at him.

"Are you feeling nervous Arthur?" she asked, her mint green eyes sparkling beneath her golden locks.

He smiled at his wife's loyal best friend. "Maybe a tad. But more so about anything, you know, out of the ordinary happening." he said warily.

Lizzie nodded, knowing that he was referring to the Phantom. "Just be careful out there, and take care of Marie."

"Don't worry I will." he said as he listened closer to the beautiful sound. "Lizzie, I've always wondered, do you like to sing?"

"Singing is fun, but dancing will always be my passion." she said, as she ushered him onto the stage.

Behind the curtain, as the magnificent dancing and singing continued, Moncharmin watched from his posistion among the others, savoring his succsess, as the audience stood to give a standing ovation. He forgot for a moment, his plans of revenge and deception, lost in the music. Lost in the voices that he had helped to create for this production. But then again, he could hardly believe his luck in pulling the wool over everyone's eyes. His plan, he was quite certain, would work out rather well. As he looked around at the people around him, he pondered his time as Moncharmin at the opera house. It had been both strange, difficult, yet still enjoyable at times. But there was one thing that stood out to him from his time here; the people held no grudge against him for his face, but looked past it to appreciate his musical talents. He wondered for a moment, if what Christine has said was really true; was it really his actions for which people hated and feared him, rather than his face? He shook his head. He would have time to ponder these thoughts after he accomplished the first stage of his plan. He turned to gaze at Marie Claire, who was coming off of stage for the intermission between acts one and two. She was his link. If he captured her, Christine, Raoul, Arthur, and god knew who else were sure to follow. Of course, he would do her no harm, but her capture would indeed lead them all past the point of no return. He could not be content staying Moncharmin and merely watching Christine and Marie from afar. He walked over towards Marie and caught her attention. His plan was moving.

"Madame, I think it would be wise if you let me check your voice. We don't want it to break after that cold that you had a few weeks ago." he said.

" Oh of course monsieur. We should go to my dressing room, so as not to disturb anyone during intermission." said Marie, walking towards her dressing room.

On the way however, they encountered Christine.

"Well hello there Marie darling, Monsieur Moncharmin." she said as she hugged her daughter. "You are doing wonderfully sweetie." she said to Marie, "How do you think it is going Monsieur?" she asked, turning to Moncharmin.

"I believe that it is going wonderfully, and I must say Madame that your voice is most amazing." he said, bending to kiss her hand.

"Thankyou Monsieur. Well I had best go, I have to change my costume before the second act. I shall see you two later." she said as she shot a discreet thumbs up at her daughter, then turned to go, her chocolate curls cascading down her back.

Once Marie and Erik reached her dressing room, Erik instructed her to sing her scales. They sounded perfect, as Erik had expected. She smiled as she finished, hoping for approval.

"Bravo Madame," he said, dropping his fake voice, and letting his natural baritone set in. "Bravo my Angel of Music."

Marie Claire jerked up at those words, her eyes wide. Never had anyone called her that, of course except the Phantom. And suddenly at that moment, she noticed something. His eyes. Those hazel grey eyes held the same look of desperation, anger, and pleading. "What did you say?" she asked, her voice stammering slightly.

"I said bravo Angel of Music." said Erik, taking her shoulder firmly but painlessly. " Now I think it would be in your best interests to follow me."

Marie stared. How could she not have noticed before? "Its you. You're not Pierre Moncharmin, you're Erik."

"Ah, you have found me out young Marie." chuckled Erik in a sarcastic tone, "Its funny how three small words can give away a man's diguise. Now come with me." he said, putting his hand over her mouth to stifle any sounds of protest. He could almost taste his victory as they reached the back of the opera house. The first part of his plan was intact, Christine and Marie would be his soon enough! Or at least that's what he thought for a fleeting moment, because suddenly he felt Marie Claire slip from his grasp, and before he knew what was happening, she was running towards the backstage area, no doubt to tell everyone of her revelation. And as she ran, her heart hammered and her blue eyes shook with tears. She wasn't going to be taken again, for both her loved ones sake and for the Phantom himself. She wouldn't let this happen, not after she was finally so happy again. She ran as fast as she could, hearing his footfalls behind her.

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A/N: Yay another chapter! I know, its a major cliffhanger, but I promise that the next chapter will be up as fast as lightning. I just couldn't put all I wanted to in one chapter. Anyway, I hope that you like it. Thankyou for all of your reviews, they are very much appreciated! After all, they are what encourage me to continue. So, please read and review! Yay for RC romance!

Asia 1st- I know, Felix must have been pretty scared, but I really wanted to involve him in this story more, so I thought that that was a good start. Oh, and I'm giving serious consideration to your idea. If it is used, which there is a very good chance of, look for it a ways down the road of the story. I love ideas, thanks!

Samantha- Yep, pretty much everyone had seen or had an encounter with the Phantom now! And again, I really want to thankyou for your continued support, you really encourage me!

mrmistofflees- By the end of the next chapter, everyone will know that the Phantom is Moncharmin. Christine, Raoul, Arthur, Meg, etc. Get ready for an exciting chapter! The secret had been revealed! 


	11. A shocking revelation

A Strange Affair

Chapter 10: A shocking revelation

A/N: Hey everyone, so yay, here's the continuation to the cliffhanger! So read on and please read and review!

Marie Claire drew ragged breaths as she ran, desperate to find someone, anyone, backstage. She was relieved when she saw a familiar blonde head in front of her.

"Aunt Meg!" she exclaimed urgently. "Moncharmin isn't who we thought he was!"

Meg stared at her goddaughter, her light blue eyes confused. " What do you mean, Marie, who is he?"

"He's disguised himself, he's really the Phantom!" exclaimed Marie without further ado.

"What!" she exclaimed, "The Phantom of the Opera!" yelled Meg, a little too loudly.

These words prompted a dead and shocked silence among the people backstage.

"Yes, he tried to kidnap me, but I managed to get away ." said Marie Claire, the unbridled panic clear in both her voice and expression.

At these words, Meg grabbed Marie's hand and ran towards the one person whom she knew to trust: her mother. When they reached Madame Giry, her normal look of stony composure had been replaced by a look of determined panic. She already had a shocked looking Arthur by her side. And without a word she led them all to Christine's dressing room, the only place that she could think of to keep them all together. A confused Christine stood before them. She had been about to go back out for the second act.

"I heard a scream, what's going on?" she asked, a feeling of dark foreboding taking her over.

"Mama," said Marie Claire tremulously, "Erik has disguised himself as Moncharmin. Its been him all along."

Christine's eyes widened in a shocked fear, as she instantly gathered Marie and Arthur to her in a motherly fashion. Why oh why couldn't Erik change? She knew that he had it in him to be a normal person, rather than this dark Phantom that he had become. Just then, the door flew open and Lizzie came in with a confused looking Felix. As the door opened, the scared whispers of the backstage occupants could clearly be heard.

"He's here, the Phantom of the Opera..."

"That's it," said Arthur firmly, "I'm going out there." he said, his brown eyes fiery now. His former teacher had gone to far.

"I don't think so," said Madame Giry in a firm tone, "I am going to settle this before anyone is hurt. This opera will go on without any disaster." she said, her eyes worried as she closed the door behind her.

Christine scooped Felix up in her arms as she looked around at the group. She simply coudn't believe that they had fallen for this deception, but now she realized, was not the time to worry about that. There was something much more important to worry about, as there was a key member of the family missing from this group.

"Raoul..." she whispered in a voice filled with tears that she would not allow to fall. She had to be strong, for her family's sake.

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Erik breathed heavily as he stopped a few feet from Christine's dressing room. He couldn't believe that he had allowed Marie to get away from him. And he couldn't remember a time when he had seem a girl run as fast as she had. There was no doubt that the whole opera house was now onto his plan. But as he contemplated what to do, he saw an unwelcome figure walking in his direction.  
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Raoul knew something was wrong the moment that he walked backstage. He heard tense whispers and there seemed to be some sort of chaos going on. He felt a deep feeling of worry for his family, and began to walk swiftly towards Christine's dressing room. But before he could make it there, he felt the point of a sword in the small of his back. His muscles automatically tensed, for he knew who was there behind him.

"Good evening Vicomte." said Erik, his voice dripping with contempt.

Raoul turned, and gave a start as he saw what was before him. And suddenly he realized what he couldn't believe that he hadn't realized before.

"Its you," he said, his voice shocked. "You've been decieving us all along."

"Bravo monsieur," said the Phantom sarcastically. "Now draw your sword, for what I shall assure you will be the last time."

Raoul drew his sword reluctantly as he heard the muffled sounds of the audience taking their seats in the theater for the second act. He hated that he had to fight, but he knew that he had to, for the sake of his family. He had to protect them from the darkness that he never wanted to over come them. How he wished to have never had to fight this fight again, but it seemed as though it would never end. It was a fight that he was bound to, for the sake of those that he loved.

A crowd began to gather about the two as the fight raged on. They watched nervously, for the news had spread about Moncharmin. But Raoul and Erik seemed oblivious as to what was going on around them, each intent on the other's next move.

"I grow tired of this fight monsieur," said Raoul, a sadness showing through his anger. "Don't you as well?"

"I do not grow tired of anything until I have achieved my goal." said Erik stonily, not allowing himself to show the Vicomte any of the raging emotions that were pent up inside.

Raoul sighed at his opponent's answer, as he fought with all that he possessed. But just then, another sword joined the fight. It was that of Arthur, who, much to Madame Giry's dismay, had left Christine's dressing room, which had of course, prompted the others to follow.

CLANG!

Raoul smiled faintly at his son in law's determination, feeling it restore his own. But somehow he knew that this wasn't going to end well. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his wife, daughter, and son, along with Lizzie, Meg, and Madame Giry. It seemed as though out of instinct that he turned to make sure that they were alright. And as he did, he heard a desperate cry:

"The three of you will stop this now, before any one if you is injured any further!" cried Madame Giry in a serious, yet pleading tone.

But she was too late for as she spoke, the group had moved ever closer to the curtains and at that moment, Erik's sword, flew into the ropes that held the curtain secure after a missed attempt at Arthur. The beautiful curtains came tumbling down on onto the stage. The audience, who had been expecting the start of the second act, found themselves stunned at what was before them. All three, even Erik dropped their swords at this. A dead silence fell over the entire opera, as Andre and Firmin tried their best to calm the now frantic audience.

"Don't be frightened ladies and gentlemen, its only part of the show, please remain in you seats." they pleaded as the backstage crew manged to get the curtain back up well enough to cover those on stage. But that rapidity hadn't kept Erik from seeing the guards before the doors.

As soon as she was sure that they were well concealed from the audience, Madame Giry rounded on the three, and even Erik didn't interrupt her.

"Now look what you have done," she breathed, somehow remaining calm. "I will not have this fight be the ruin of this opera house. And I will not have it be the ruin of any of you. I care for you all, and this is ridiculous." she said simply.

As she said this, the voices of Andre and Firmin were heard, and they were frantic.

"He's over there lieutenant, that's him!" they said as they pointed in Erik's direction. That wasn't the wisest thing for them to do, as Erik's temper and emotions were raging.

And before he even did it, Madame Giry seemed to know what it was that he was going to do.

As he took one last look at them all, he wrapped his cloak about him and dissappeared in a flash of fire.

"This shall not be the last that you see of me!" yelled Erik as he dissappeared, causing the stage to be set on fire. Piercing screams resounded throughout the opera house as the audience members were escorted out of the opera house with the utmost speed. The opera clearly, was over for the evening.

"Christine, Marie, Felix!" yelled Raoul as he and Arthur ran to find them through the smoke.

They managed to find them on the other side of the stage with Meg and Lizzie. Raoul grabbed Christine's and Felix's hands as Arthur grabbed Marie's and Madame Giry grabbed Meg's and Lizzie's and the group sprinted as fast as possible off of the stage and through the theater. It was hard to see through the smoke that seemed to be spreading, and everyone's vision became blurry. The vile substance filled their lungs, and their coughs rang through the opera house. Finally though, they reached the lobby, which seemed to be unharmed, and went out into the cool evening. It seemed that everyone inside had gotten out relatively unharmed, though there were a few injuries sustained.

"Oh my god, is everyone alright?" asked Arthur, looking around and trying to sustain the damage as he checked Marie Claire for any burns.

"I think that everyone is alright," said Raoul, as he checked Felix and Christine for injuries. "It seems that everyone got out alright."

Tears of fear slid down Felix's face as Christine picked him up and held him in a comforting embrace. Raoul pulled the two of them to him and soon Marie and Arthur joined the intimate embrace. All whispered a silent prayer of thanks that they had remained safe. The fire had not been on the same scale as the Don Juan fire, but it was a dangerous situation nevertheless.

"I just can't believe that we didn't see it before, I can't believe that we fell for such a deception." said Marie Claire, her blue eyes, sad and confused as she let herself be wrapped up in Arthur's warm embrace.

"Neither can I," said Christine, shaking her head, "But it was an excellent disguise, I don't know how we could have known." she said, sighing as she buried her head into her beloved Raoul's shoulder. "How can we feel safe again?"

"We wil find a way." said Raoul, wrapping his arms around her, and hearing her heart beat against his chest, only wishing to keep her safe.

"Papa, may Arthur and I stay with you this evening?" asked Marie, her voice sounding much like it had when she was a little girl.

"Yes darling, of course you can." said Raoul as he kissed his daughter's head.

Then as the group regained their senses, the ranting of Andre and Firmin could be heard.

"We're ruined Andre, they'll never come back now!" yelled Firmin, pacing. "And how will we ever afford to pay for the damage to that priceless stage?"

"I don't know Firmin, I don't know." murmured Andre, his head in his hands.

At hearing this, Raoul walked over to them. "Gentlemen I will help pay for the damage done to the stage. I'm really sorry about all of this monsieurs." he said sincerely.

"I will help to, as it was our fight that caused all of this." said Arthur gravely.

"Oh thankyou gentlemen." said Firmin, as he bowed and thanked him profusely.

Everyone stood in silence for a few minutes, still trying to take in what had just happened. No one daring to believe that any of this was true. It was Lizzie who broke the silence.

"I just can't believe that Moncharmin and the Phantom are the same man." she said, her voice sad, "They didn't seem the same at all."

"No," said Madame Giry, "They don't. But perhaps if we find the person that Moncharmin is, under the dark Phantom, then perhaps this conflict will end." she stated simply as she looked around at them all. Her gaze followed around the group of cast member and stage crew, and her gaze finally rested on the de Chagnys and the Pages, and she smiled at them, as though trying to reassure them. "I think it best if all of you go home and rest. I am sure that we will all need it, for this is bound to be all over the morning papers, and there will be a lot to deal with." she said as she ushered them all into their carriages.

And as they all traveled home, each dreaded what they knew the morning would bring.  
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A/N: Hello everyone, and thanks for reading! Ya I know its pretty dramatic huh? Things will get better for all invovled I promise. I would also like to emphasize that there are no character deaths in my stories, so never fear. My fics always have happy endings! Please read and review! All of my characters will thank you for it!

Raoul, Christine, Marie, Arthur, Felix, Erik, etc- "Please review Kchan's story!"

See I told you! Anyway, thanks fo reading!

BlazeLoganlover- Thanks so much! I'm really glad that you like my story, and I hope that you will like it even better as the story goes on.

Samantha- Thanks for your continued support! It seems that he didn't catch her this time, but who know what will happen later? But at least for the time being they all got away!

Asia1st- Thanks for your continued support! Oh, they aren't stupid, it was just a very good disguise! It was an intelligent plan on Erik's part though.

I am the Angel of Music- I'm glad that you reviewed and I'm glad that you like my story! Oh, and the three words Erik said were ' angel of music', those words revealed him to Marie. Sorry for the confusion on that. By the way, how did your play go?

mrmistoflees- Thanks for reviewing! It seems that now everyone knows who the Phantom is! 


	12. Ignoring publicity

A Strange Affair

Chapter 12: Ignoring Publicity

A/N: Hey everyone! Okay, these next two chapters are just kind of the aftermath of all of the evening's events. I took Guitarprincess' suggestion and made these more lighthearted chapters, since the previous chapters hade been so heavy. This chapter involves the de Chagnys and the next chapter is a scene between Erik and Madame Giry. And anyway, happy chapters are always good to sprinkle in every which where in a fic. So, happy for ALL characters! Anyway, enjoy! Oh, and I've a decided to start putting quotes at the beginning of each chapter, I've seen a lot of people do that, and I thought that it was cool.

Quote: "We're family me and you!" James and the Giant Peach(And yes, this does pertain to the chapter)  
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As had been expected, a great number of the Parisian papers the next morning had headlines about the events at the opera house the evening before. A few had somehow managed to get photographs. And though Marie Claire worried about the effects of the publicity on both her family and the opera house, she couldn't help but be amused at the audacity and over exaggeration of the reporters. The reports though, angered her slightly as well. The writers acted as if they knew how it had felt to be there. It wasn't possible for them to, she thought. Not possible for them to have felt the shock and fear that those present had felt. They were merely looking for something to gossip about, for the latest scandal among the French nobility. It would all die down eventually, she knew, but for the time being she and her family were in the limelight.  
She tapped her bare feet on the cold kitchen floor as she sipped her tea and looked out the window at the lightening sky. She had woken up before the sun had even risen, as her sleep, obviously, had been quite restless. She and Arthur had opted to stay with her parents for the night, for the familiar house gave them both a sense of security. She looked around the silent house, wondering who would be the first to wake. She got up as she heard a creak on the stairs, and smiled as she saw Arthur descending them.

He looked slightly half awake as he walked slowly down the stairs in blue pajamas, his hair wild from a restless sleep. She held up the newspaper and a frown came slowly onto his face.

"I see we recieved some publicity," said Arthur as he looked at the paper. "This isn't going to be a pleasant experience."

"No, it isn't." said Marie, "But I was rather hoping that perhaps that we could ignore it, just for today."

Arthur smiled at his love, thinking that that was a rather good idea. He slid his arms around her slim, blue nightgown clad waist and pulled her to him, so that their foreheads touched.

" I promise," he whispered, in a heartwarming, emotion filled tone, "That what happened last night will not happen again. I won't let you be taken to the darkness again." he said, his brown eyes searching her face.

She looked at him, her blue orbs filled with relieved tears. "Arthur, were you scared?" she asked in a whisper, as she leaned into his shoulder, breathing in his peppermint scent.

"Yes," he said softly, "I was afraid of going to a place where you wouldn't be. But I'm here now, and that's all that matters."

She smiled at his words. She always felt better when he was there. She didn't feel as vulnerable, or as confused. And she knew that he felt the same.

"What do you say we go and scare Felix awake." laughed Marie, "He deserves a little birthday surprise."

Arthur laughed as he kissed her. "Alright. Sounds like a plan. He could probably use a laugh after what happened last night."

Marie nodded, then grinned as she took his hand and they snuck quietly up the stairs. Ah, the wonders of young love.  
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Christine blinked her dark eyes slowly open as the sun began to rise. She sat up, running her fingers through her chestnut curls and rubbing her temples. The events of the night had given her a headache. But she smiled for a moment, as today was Felix's birthday. She could hardly believe that Felix was eleven today. It seemed as though it were yesterday that he was a one year old baby, crawling about the manor with the utmost rapidity. She turned back around and gazed at the sound asleep Raoul, silently marveling at how much Felix resembled him, from the honey colored hair to the tall, thin, yet still muscular build. But the big brown eyes that Felix had inherited had undoubtedly come from her. She smiled as she traced her ivory fingers across Raoul's face, her heart filled with a soaring love. Her eyes sparkled as she gently kissed his forehead.

Not wanting to disturb him from his slumber just yet, she slid out from under the down comforter and slid into her slippers. She walked across the room, to retrieve the newspaper that had been slid under the door. When she picked it up, she was met with a blaring and unpleasant headline.

'Fire at the Opera Populaire! The Vicomte de Chagny, tenor Arthur Page', and a mystery man believed to be the infamous Phantom of the Opera have conflict on stage!'

Christine sighed as she read the article, wishing that the man she had once called her angel of music would cease to haunt them. Wishing that that same man she had once trusted had not betrayed her again. She gazed at the cut on Raoul's arm with a tear in her eye. He had always been willing to give up his life, just for her. For her freedom. And he had done that very thing again, last night. She wiped the tear away as she whispered his name to wake him up, loving the sound of his name on her tongue.

"Raoul, my love, wake up." she whispered in his ear.

He turned over sleepily, and opened his blue eyes, yawning. "Good morning darling." he said, kissing her on the cheek, and eyeing the newspaper warily. "I see we didn't escape the publicity."

"No, but I didn't expect us to. But perhaps we can wait until tommorow to worry about it?" she asked, her face hopeful.

Raoul grinned sleepily, knowing that he could not refuse Christine anything that she asked of him. "Alright. It actually sounds like a good idea." he said, stretching. "I just hope that my parents don't worry themselves to much about it. They seemed quite shell shocked last night. And they had been really looking forward to the opera." he said sadly. "I just can't believe that we fell for that, how can we ever feel safe again? He almost captured our little girl." he said, putting his head in his hands in a very worried fashion.

Christine put her hand warmly over his and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Don't worry Raoul, and don't go thinking that this is your fault. It is not in any way. We must hold out hope that maybe Erik will change his ways, and cease to haunt us. That he will find his own happiness. Just let it go for today, and then, tommorow, you'll find that it isn't so hard to face."

He smiled at her, comforted by the love and solace that he found in her touch. He had often said those same words to her when she was troubled. He rubbed his thumbs gently across her face, looking into her chocolate eyes.

"Christine, I love you."

"I love you to." she said, kissing him.

"Well," said Raoul, a sneaky grin on his features, "I believe that we have a birthday boy to surprise. Or perhaps we could make him wait until later." he said jokingly.

Christine slapped him playfully with the newspaper at those words, as she ushered him over to the corner of their room, where a large box was sitting. She chuckled as she and Raoul made their way towards their now eleven year old son's room.  
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Coincidentally enough, Raoul and Christine reached Felix's door at the same time as Marie and Arthur. A silent good morning was whispered as the group tried to cover their laughter. They carefully opened the door to find Felix fast asleep on top of his green comforter. They walked in quietly, so as not to wake him. Raoul gently placed the box on the bed, and as he removed the top, a small bark echoed out of the box. A small aurburn- brown Dauchsund puppy crawled out of the box and began to lick Felix's face with eagerness. He had a red bow around his neck and his tail wagged speedily. Felix's brown eyes shot open in surprise at the strange sensation on his face.

"Happy birthday!" they all exclaimed as they jumped onto his bed.

Felix seemed speechless with excitement and glee as a huge dimple to dimple grin slipped onto his face. He had been begging for a puppy for months. The puppy jumped around, barking happily. "Thankyou so much!" said Felix as he hugged his new puppy.

"Anything for you sweetie." said Christine as Raoul laughed at the puppy's antics and touseled his son's hair.

"What are you going to name it Felix?" asked Marie curiously as the puppy lumbered over to she and Arthur.

Felix pondered for a moment on that, then after a minute, realization came onto his face. "Chester. His name is Chester."

And Chester seemed to know his name, for just then, he ran across the bed and jumped into Felix's arms. Then they all ran downstairs in a most undignified manner to eat the traditional red velvet birthday cake. And all of them were glad that they had ignored the publicity, even if just for today. As Raoul teased Felix and Marie, as Christine cut the cake and they sang happy birthday, and as Arthur anwered the door when Meg and Lizzie came by, they forgot that they were the family that was plastered all over the famous french papers, and just basked in the glow of family. Even if just for today.  
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A/N: So yay, its Felix's birthday! I hope that you like this! The next chapter is about Erik and Madame Giry. After these two chapters, the plot will continue, with the utmost excitement! And, don't even say it, I know that this chapter is fluffy. As I have said before, being a sap is in my nature, especially when it comes to RC and Marie and Arthur. But anyway enough of my ramblings, please read and reivew, I really need your feedback! Thanks!

Guitarprincess- I am so glad that you like it, and thankyou so much for your continued support. As you can see, I took your advice. Thanks for that! As always, yay RC! I love it!

BlazeLoganLover- I am so glad that you enjoyed it. Thankyou! I hope that you like this as well.

Samantha- Ya I thought the curtain falling added a nice touch. Good old Madame Giry, what would any of them do without her? Thanks for reviewing!

Asia1st- Thanks! Yay I updated! Oh, and Phantom of Degrassi is awseome! Love it!

I am the Angel of Music- No problem. I am glad that you liked the gala, it was interesting to write. As to the Phantom' s revenge, you shall see my opera ghost friend. There are surprises around every corner! Just stay with me. Thanks so much for your continued support. Oh, and I'll keep my hand at the level of my eyes, but please, don't punjab me! 


	13. Rekindling friendships

A Strange Affair

Chapter 13: Rekindling friendships and learning lessons?

Erik didn't know how long he slept, but he awoke feeling slightly refreshed. He didn't normally didn't sleep very much, so the feeling was strange. But he was no less bitter, angry, or frustrated as he had been the night before. But sleep, he found, at least toned down the fiery intensity of his emotions. He eyed his Moncharmin disguise with flaming eyes. He no longer desired to look at it, and so promptly threw it in the lake, watching with satisfaction as it sank to the murky bottom.

For a moment though, as he watched it, he thought about his time as Moncharmin. It had definitely been a rather bittersweet experience for him. He had gotten to see Christine and Marie often, but he also had to see the Vicomte and Arthur. And he had seen how happy they all clearly were together. But they had treated him as they would any normal man, as even a friend perhaps, despite his 'burns.' It had been rather odd, acting normal and interacting with the people he had haunted and wreaked havoc on for all of those years. He had acted with civilty, even politness toward the people whom he swore that he hated. And yet the strangest thing to Erik, was the fact that these people, the very people who had shown such fear of him, had actually liked him. And he had gotten to work firsthand in an opera, which was invigorating. But it wasn't enough. And it wouldn't be enough until Christine and Marie were his. And then they would be the family of the music of the night. 

Butother than a few curious questions about the circumstances in which he had recieved his 'burns', they had simply appreciated his musical talents. But those thoughts were also over shadowed by the fact that his plan, his ingenious plan that he had worked on for months, had failed. And it was all because he had allowed Marie Claire to slip through his fingers. He let out a scream of rage, kicking over a nearby chair in frustration. He couldn't believe that he had let this happen! He sat down at his organ, running his fingers over the smooth ivory keys. Had this been his last chance? Would it always be just he and the Music of the Night? But, much to Erik's chagrin, he was not left to ponder these thoughts. For to his surprise, he heard a pair of footsteps outside the gate. He picked up his punjab lasso out of instinct, not bothering to look up.

"If you care for your own life, I'd advise you to leave. I am not in the most merciful mood at the moment, and you have come down to my home uninvited." he said, his voice stony.

"Well, I myself am not in the best of moods either monsieur, so I believe that makes us even." said the heavy French accent.

Erik looked up at the sound of the familiar voice, and his hazel grey eyes widened slightly. He dropped the lasso to the floor, though his fingers seemed reluctant to let go. But he had no wish to harm Madame Giry. "How did you know that I was here Madame?" he asked in an emotionless tone. "This opera house has been vacant for over twenty years."

"And therefore the exact place for you to be." she answered. "Could you possibly allow me inside?" she asked, tapping her black walking cane on the stone floor. Without answering, Erik got up and pulled the lever, and the portcullis came up slowly and with a great creak. "Hello Erik." she said as she handed him the newspaper that was in her hand. "I thought that you might want to see this."

Erik took the newpaper from her hand, noticing that there was concern in her eyes, that shone through the anger that was in her voice. As he unfolded the newpaper, a huge headline came up to meet him, along with a picture of himself, Arthur, and the Vicomte. He threw it aside as he gestured for Madame Giry to sit down. He wasn't concerned about what the Parisian public wrote about him.

"This is all over almost every Parisian paper," she began, "The opera house, and " she paused ,"Certain people in it will suffer greatly from this." she said, her green eyes boring into his masked face.

He looked back at her, his face trying to hide any emotion that he might feel. "Are you asking for some sort of apology?" he asked her, his voice curious, as much as he tried to hide it.

She shook her long auburn braid and sighed. "No Erik, I know better than to ask that of you. But I would like to know why you lied and decieved us all, and caused all of that havoc last night."she said in voice full of calm frustration.

He glared at her, his hands clenched in fists on top of his black dress pants. "It was the only way to have any real influence on an opera, and..." he trailed off , "Well there's really no need for me to explain my other reasons is there Catherine? As you most likely already know what they are." he said bitterly.

"No," she said softly, "There is not. But I must warn you Erik, that the authorities have a hunch that you are here, and I am sure that within a few days they will come looking for you here." she said, worry in her normally stern voice. "I know that you have saved money from the funds you collected from the managers over the years. Perhaps you could buy a house of your own." she said, seeming a bit apprenhensive at her own suggestion.

Erik gazed at her, this woman who had saved him from the gypsies. Buy his own house? It suddenly sounded like an idea. It would at least, mean even less contact with the world which he despised. But still, the thought of leaving the opera house baffled him. "Is that why you came here, to warn me?" he asked, his voice still not completely trusting her, and there was still a hint of anger there.

"Yes. And because you are my friend, Erik." she said, smiling her mysterious smile.

He stared at her in shock. She really did seem to care. He stood up and began to pace the room. "How is it possible?" he asked slowly, "For you to care about both myself and... them?" he asked, glaring.

She didn't even flinch under his frightening gaze. "Because it simply is. Caring and friendship dosen't take sides. I care for you and I care for the de Chagnys and the Pages. And I want nothing more than to see all of you happy?"

He grunted, as though not believing her words. But there was no doubt in his mind, that he had to leave this opera house. And going back to the new one was obviously out of the question. A house just outside of Paris perhaps, one where no one would disturb him. He could perhaps write a new opera, and perhaps another plan for revenge...

"Alright." he said, stopping his pacing and sitting back down. "I shall take your advice and leave this opera house. But I know what else that you wish to ask of me, and I do not think that I can grant it."

"And what is it that you think I will ask?" she said, her eyes squinting curiously.

"You wish for me to leave the Christine and her family alone, do you not?" he asked his face serious.

"I do wish it." she said sadly. "I wish it, for it will make her happy, and if you truly care, you will do it. And it will also cause you less pain. And then, just maybe, you can earn their forgiveness. There is happiness out there for you Erik. Christine has found hers, with Raoul and her children. And if you do what I ask, you will find yours. For you will find that it is closer than you think." she stopped, letting her words sink in.

Erik sighed. He couldn't give up just yet. But still, even if it wasn't to his knowledge, her words would come back to haunt him. "Like I said, I shall leave this opera house and find a house of my own. But I shall not promise to do the other that you asked. For if I break it, then that would be lying to you. And since you are being honest with me, I shall be honest with you." he said nodding his head.

"Very well then," she said, rising to go. "It was nice to see you Erik." she said as she began to walk towards the gate.

Erik watched her go, feeling a sense that she really did care about him. He didn't understand how she could care for both him and his enemies, but she did, and he would not question her. He could admit, that she, even if in the strangest way, she was his friend. "Catherine?" he said, a slight smirk on his face, "Thankyou, my... friend."

She turned her face towards him. "Your welcome Erik." And with that, she walked out the gate, feeling at least, a small sense of accomplishment. Erik would have his own house and not be in danger at the decrepid old opera house. But she still worried immensly about Christine, Raoul, Marie, and Arthur, for Erik would not promise to leave them alone. She cared so much for them, and she didn't want to see them hurt anymore. They had been through enough already. But she still held out some hope, that another disaster would not occur.

A/N: Hello everyone, hope that you like this, for I found it hard to write. It is sometimes hard to keep these two characters in character. Anyway, please read and review! I really tried to look at a different side of Erik, as he is being forced to change the way he lives. The true human emotion inside him that he dosen't like to show. And yay for Madame Giry, I've always thought that she was cool.

And thanks Samantha, ya it does seem like Marie and Arthur are the next generation of Christine and Raoul, that's really how I wanted it to be. Yay for Marie and Arthur and Raoul and Christine, and their love! I am such a romantic sap, but that's okay, I love it! 


	14. Doubts and reassurances

A Strange Affair

Chapter 14: Doubts and reassurances

A few weeks later, Arthur and Marie Claire were preparing to go to the opera house to check on the almost complete renovations to the stage and theater. But as Marie pulled her sky blue cape out of the downstairs coat closet, her normal sunny smile and chatter were missing. Arthur, who was sitting on the navy blue leather couch, noticed this, and he looked up from the book that he was reading and turned to his beloved wife.

"Marie, my darling, is something wrong?" he asked, concerned.

She turned around as she tied the the top of her cloak and it fell prettily on her shoulders. She gave a small smile, but it did not reach her eyes as it did when she really smiled. "I'm fine Arthur, why?" she asked, trying to feign ignorance.

Arthur slid his glasses down his nose and his brown eyes looked with serious concern and disbelief upon Marie Claire's face. "Marie, you know you don't have to pretend with me. What is it?"

Marie sighed and walked toward the couch and sat down next to Arthur. She should have known that she could hide nothing from him. "Well," she said slowly as though hating to admit it, "I'm rather afraid to begin performing again. I swore I'd never let Erik's actions affect my singing, but there's one thing that's more important, and that is you and my family. I am so afraid to lose any of you." her voice shook, as though she were afraid to show her feelings.

Arthur, who wasn't terribly surprised by this reaction, took Marie Claire's chin in his hands and looked deep into her sky blue eyes. "Marie I know that losing someone that you love is your worst fear, it is mine as well. But to give up your singing? It would break your heart, and I couldn't bear to see you that way." he said with feeling, tears appearing in his eyes.

She moved closer to him, and leaned her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her thick curls. "I just came so close to losing everything that I held dear two years ago Arthur." she said, still trying to fight back her oncoming tears.

"Sweetie, even if you stopped performing at the opera, it does not mean that Erik would cease to haunt us. But I can see why you would be hesitant to begin performing again, I can't say that I haven't had the same worries. But just promise me that you will think seriously about this before you decide, alright?" he asked hopefully.

A small, but still very real smile appeared on her face. " I will, I can promise you that." she said sincerely. "Well, we had better go, they are probably waiting on us." she said as she kissed him sweetly on the forehead.

They stood up and Arthur put on his hunter green pea coat and the two went outside into the nippy September air. As they walked to the carriage, Arthur took his wife's hand in his, as a thought occured to him. "Marie, don't ever be ashamed of crying, its only human after all. You're so strong, and its okay to have fears, and everyone has to cry sometimes." he said, squeeezing her hand.

She smiled at him, knowing that his words were true.

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A few minutes later the carriage pulled up in the front of the opera house and Marie and Arthur climbed out, hand in hand. They walked through the beautiful entrance hall, and up the marble stairs, finally reaching the theater. As they walked, Marie couldn't help but smile at the most familiar surroundings. She had grown up in this opera house, watching her mother perform, and had now become one if its most accomplished singers. She squeezed Arthur's hand fondly as the memories of thier first meeting flooded her mind. She felt her spirit soar at the memories of of beautiful music flooding these halls. But she also felt her heart tear in two at the memories of Erik. How astounding his music was, how genius. But she felt cold and goosbumps rose on her skin as thoughts of the tradgedies that had occured at his hand; the fiery stage, the cold, dank lair, the ropes around her papa's and Arthur's necks, the desperation in his eyes. But before she could ponder her thoughts and memories any longer, the voices of Andre and Firmin reached she and Arthur's ears.

"Ah, this looks just splendid, just marvelous." said Andre, clasping his hands together excitedly.

"Yes," said Firmin, smiling broadly and with satisfaction. "I daresay that it will hold up better than the previous stage did. We cannot thank you enough Vicomte. This would have taken much longer if we did not have the financial assistance of yourself and young Arthur."

Marie Claire then heard the deep, kind, voice of her father responding. "It wasn't a problem monsieurs. My family loves this opera house so much, that I simply wanted to fix it as quickly as possible, seeing as my children practically grew up in here." he smiled, then, at hearing the approaching footsteps of Marie and Arthur, her turned. "Well, hello there you two." he said, moving over to hug them. "What do you think?"

Arthur and Marie Claire stared in awe at the newly finished construction. All of the front row chairs had been replaced, as they had been damaged in the fire. The stage was larger, and catered more to the actor's needs. It was made of the finest wood in France, and was quite an amazing addition. But the most astonishing new addition were the curtains. The old ones obviously, had been completely ruined, but the new ones were most lovely. They were made of silver velvet, with intricate golden designs in the shapes of cherubim and seraphim angels.

"It's astonishing," said Arthur, gazing around. "It is quite possibly more grand than the old stage."

"I agree," said Marie, eyes sparkling at the gorgeous new theater. Could she really give up this place? This place that made her feel complete?

"Well," said Andre, "We have some business to attend to, but you are welcome to linger and explore a bit if you like. We shall see you all later."

As the comical duo walked off, Raoul turned toward his daughter and son in law, a twinkle in his blue eyes. " It is really amazing isn't it?"

Arthur and Marie nodded, but Raoul could tell from the look on his daughter's face and from the tight grip that she had on Arthur's hand, that something was bothering his girl.

"But I can tell that something is bothering you both. What is it?" he asked, his voice worried.

Marie and Arthur looked at each other, knowing that they could tell Raoul. "Well," began Marie quietly, "I'm just not so sure that it's safe to sing in this opera house anymore. I am so afraid to lose any one of you." she said, distress in her voice.

Raoul looked at the pair with a quizzical expression on his caring features, but he still had a slight smile on his face. He had a plan. "I was afraid that," he said, a worried frown coming onto his lips. "But we have a bit of a surprise for you two that may help your decision. Trust me though, Christine and I have also had the same doubts about this. Come Christine and Felix are waiting backstage for us."

Raoul led them through the long, winding corridors to the backstage area, where they found Christine and Felix with identical smiles in their chocolate brown eyes. They all walked onto the stage where there was a large grand piano set up.

"What's all of this?" asked Arthur, a grin spreading onto his face despite his troubled heart.

"Well," said Christine, laughing slightly at the looks on their faces, "I know that we all have had the same unspoken fears about singing in this opera house again," she said, her voice sad. At hearing her sad voice, Raoul came over and put a warm and comforting arm around her waist. This seemed to give the brave woman the determination to continue. "So we decided to put on a small performance, with just us."

Marie Claire gave a small smile, insecurity still in her eyes. She didn't want to give into her fears, but if she had too, she thought, that this at least would help a bit. Felix sat behind the piano, his long fingers resting on the keys. Raoul stood behind, the violin that Gustav Daae had taught him to play all those years ago in hand. Christine led Arthur and Marie Claire towards center stage. She gave a Raoul and Felix their cue and they began to play a familiar song. At Christine's bidding, Arthur and Marie joined her in singing. The beautiful, angelic, melodious voices soared through the air, making the theater ring. After a few minutes, Meg and Lizzie moved onto the stage, their graceful bodies moving perfectly with the music. As this 'performance' continued, Raoul and Christine smiled hopefully over at each other, hoping that this would convince them all, especially Marie, to continue performing. Marie Claire, who caught a glimpse of this, felt that this little incident had helped her decision a good deal, and she was going to thank her parents profusely for it. But doubt still lingered in her mind and heart. Should she stop singing? And if she decided to, could she? But she forgot her worries for a moment, and allowed the music to overcome her, loving the sound of it. Only time would tell.

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A/N: Hey everybody! I'm so sorry that this update was slower than the others, I was out of town and at the beach for the week. So rest assured that the next chapters will be up as fast as possible. Anyway, I hope that you like this, please read and review! And thankyou to I am the Angel of Music and Samantha for their continued support. And to Samantha- Yes I love the RC and Marie/Arthur romance, I am always glad to write it! Madame Giry is most helpful though. 


	15. A new home and a visitor

A strange affair

Chapter 15: A new home and a new visitor

Erik gazed around at his new house with a sense of satisfaction. It suited him, he thought, quite perfectly. The rather large house was about a twenty minute carriage or horseback ride from Paris and the opera house. It was tucked behind a sinister group of oak trees and his closest neighbor was about half a mile away. Erik hadn't met the man yet, but he assumed that he would probably come and introduce himself soon, as was the custom of the French nobility. And Erik was quite sure that the man was an aristocrat, as there was a family crest on the front gates of the house. And as much as it would pain Erik to be polite, he would be forced to, for the police were still looking for him and it would be unwise to arouse any suspicion.

He shifted comfortably in his chair, glad to be back in his regular black attire. He had once again been forced into a diguise in order to purchase his house . It had of course, been entirely different from his Moncharmin diguise so that no one would be curious if they recognized his picture from the paper. It had taken a few weeks to secure a deal with the realtors, but all in all it had gone rather smoothly. He had purchased the house under the name Louis Anderson, not wanting the realtors to have any inkling of who he really was. He laughed slightly . The money that he had procured from the managers, especially Monsieur Levfreve, had certainly been put to use. Perhaps Madame Giry had been right to suggest that he find a house. And though he was angered slightly at her for her strong feelings for the de Chagnys and the Pages, he still trusted her, even if only it was a small bit.

He then stood up slowly, deciding to take a walk around his grounds so as to familiarize himself with them. It was the opportune moment, seeing as twilight was falling and the sun, which Erik did not really care for, was not shining so brightly. As he opened the large oaken front door however, Erik's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the calling card that had been left on his doormat. He had apparently been too deep in thought to have heard the knock on the door. He turned reluctantly back inside to put on his disguise, seeing as the man would arrive in a few minutes. He walked slowly up the stairs in a seemingly ghostlike fashion, towards his sleeping chamber, which greatly resmbled his lair at the opera house, save that the organ was downstairs. He replaced his black shirt for a white one, and he removed his black cloak and replaced it with a grey one. Then he removed his mask, looking with disgust for a moment at the face he so loathed, then replaced it with the bandages that he had used previously. He then placed on his new, lighter brown wig, which was slightly shorter than the Moncharmin one.

He smirked slightly at his reflection. The transformation was indeed complete. He made his way back down the stairs and just minutes later the doorbell rang, and Erik walked casually towards the door, plastering a somewhat smirkish smile on his face. He opened the door to find a a youngish looking man standing before him. He was probably in his early forties, but he still had a youthful look about him. He was muscular about the shoulders and was quite tall. He had short, shaggy auburn hair and hazel- green eyes. He bowed slightly to Erik, a friendly smile on his face.

"Bonjour monsieur, I am Lucien Olivie, your new neighbor. And your name is Louis Anderson, I believe?" he asked cordially, in a deep voice.

"Yes," said Erik in a voice of forced politeness, "That is my name. Won't you come inside?"

Lucien nodded and closed the large door behind him as Erik led him into the finely furnished living room. Lucien took a seat on the couch as Erik took a seat in the winged armchair opposite him. Erik brought out some tea out of courtesy, and poured some into two cups.

"I am pleased to meet you monsieur," said Lucien in a kind and friendly tone. "It shall be nice to have someone at least a bit nearby. I myself only moved into this area a few weeks ago. Where is it that you are from?"

"I am from France originally," said Erik slowly, putting out the lines that he had rehearsed in his head. "But I have been in England for several years now."

"Ah, England is a lovely place. I have been there several times. In fact I have been gone from Paris for a year, traveling around the world." said Lucien, taking a sip of his tea.

Erik didn't answer for a moment. Despite himself he was intrigued ever so slightly by that. This man did not seem like your typical aristocrat. "That had always been an ambition of mine." said Erik, "I should think that it would be a great learning experience."

"Yes, it really is," said Lucien. He was really starting to like this man, mysterious though he seemed to be.

There was a lull in the conversation for a moment, until Lucien spotted a newspaper on the coffee table that had an article about the police's continued search for the Phantom of the Opera. "They still haven't caught that man? I'm surprised, they seemed quite intent on it, even after Raoul and Christine and the rest of the opera lot have protested against it. It will only anger this suppossed 'phantom' more..." said Lucien, mumbling slightly and trailing off into his thoughts.

"Raoul and Christine?" asked Erik, keeping his voice casual. How did this man know them?

"Oh yes, pardon me. They are the Vicomte and Vicomtess de Chagny. Do you know them?" asked Lucien, taking a sip of his tea.

"I have only seen their names in connection with this. Do you know them well?" asked Erik, trying to keep any inkling of curiosity out of his voice.

"Quite well," answered Lucien, "Raoul and Christine are my best friends. I have known them since we were children, and Raoul and I have gone to school together for years."said Lucien, smiling slightly.

Erik kept a normal look on his face, but inside he felt quite shocked. He took a sip of his tea so as to give him a moment to regain his voice and thoughts. He lived only half a mile away from the Vicomte's best friend? After a moment he regained his thoughts, and after a few more minutes of small talk, Lucien had to go prepare, coincidentally, for a week long stay at the de Chagny manor for which he was leaving tommorow. As Erik bid the younger man farewell, and he closed the door, a smirk spread across his disguised features. Having this man living so close by could certainly work to his advantage. Certainly Lucien had asked how he came to have the bandages on his face, but there had been no other occurences to indicate that Lucien had any clue as to who he was. He couldn't really, seeing as he had never even seen Erik before, only heard about him. Erik could find out what the de Chagnys were up to, without Lucien ever suspecting who he really was. Erik had given him no reason to suspect anything. As soft laugh escaped his lips as he went up the stairs. But as it did, Madame Giry's pleas to leave the de Chagnys and the Pages alone rang in his ears. But simply knowing what they were up to wasn't going against her wishes, was it? And besides, he had not promised to that particular request...

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A/N: So yay, a new character and a new house! I hope that you like Lucien, as you'll be seeing a lot of him, as he is Raoul and Christine's childhood friend. I hope that you like this chapter. So until next update, which will be in a few days, see ya later and please review! And as always, yay RC! Next Chapter: Chapter 16: Friendly visits and decisions

I am the Angel of Music- I am so glad that you are going to continue, I really look forward to your feedback and support on this story! And though this is an RC story, I am sure that you also will be happy with the ending. As I said there will be happy endings for everyone. Thanks so much for your support! 


	16. A friendly visit and a decision

A Strange Affair

Chapter 16: A friendly visit and a decision

A/N: Hope that you guys like this! Quote: "The thing is Harry, that people often have a knack of choosing the things that are the very worst for them"- Albus Dumbledore

Lucien's smile spread across his boyish face as his carriage pulled up in front of the de Chagny manor. Raoul and Christine had obviously been out riding, for a short distance away, Lucien saw Raoul helping Christine down from her large bay horse and spinning her about before setting her on the ground. Their laughter echoed in through his carriage window and his heart warmed.

He had been so glad, all those years ago, when Raoul had told him that he had found Christine again at the Opera Populaire. Something had always told Lucien that those two had been meant for each other, ever since they were children. And God knew, Christine deserved to be happy after all that she had endured, especially after the soul shattering death of her father. And finding Raoul again, it seemed to Lucien, had brought Christine back to life.

He hopped quietly out of the carriage and strode soundlessly up to Raoul and Christine, who had not seen him arrive. The two had become locked in a kiss, so Lucien found the perfect opportunity to sneak up on them.

"I sincerely hope that I am not interrupting anything." he said slyly as he reached them.

The two broke apart suddenly apart, surprised at the sudden voice.

"Well hello there Lucien," said Raoul, giving his friend a quick embrace. "I suppose you couldn't have just announced that you were here like a normal person?" asked Raoul, chuckling.

"Of course not dearest Raoul, that would take the fun out of it." said Lucien, laughing. 

"I certainly never know what to expect when you come to call Lucien." said Christine with a smile as she removed her riding helmet and shook out her long, curly, brown braid.

"Pleased to see you to Christine." chuckled Lucien as he kissed her on the cheek.

The three made their way inside to the warm living room, and hot tea was brought into them. Raoul stoked the fire, and Christine went upstairs to change out of her riding habit. He sat on the couch as Lucien took a seat in his customary chair. Raoul watched Christine as she went up the stairs, a twinkle in his blue eyes, and a loving smile on his face. Lucien, who noticed this, had to fight the urge to laugh. His best friend was quite the romantic.

"Your eyes light up everytime you look ar her Raoul," said Lucien. "But I sense that there is something troubling the both of you." he said wisely.

Raoul sighed and looked at his friend with a worried smile. "Yes, I must admit that there is. As much as Arthur and I try to persuade Christine and Marie, they are still no so certain as to whether they wish to return to singing at the Opera Populaire."

Lucien stared at his friend for a moment, as though slightly dumbfounded. "But Raoul, I can hardly imagine that. Christine and Marie Claire not singing? Although, I can see where they are coming from." said Lucien darkly.

"They simply want to protect our family from harm. And I know that they are so afraid that mine and Arthur's lives are in danger. They struggle with this because they are brave enough to be willing to give up a part of themselves in order to protect others." said Raoul, the utmost respect and love for his wife and daughter in his voice. "But I do not want them to give up the opera, it just wouldn't seem right, and I cannot bear to see them sad anymore." said Raoul, holding his head in his hands in distress.

Lucien thought for a moment, his chin resting on his fist in thought. "Well, do you think that if you removed yourselves from the opera house that this Phantom perhaps would leave you alone?"

Raoul shook his head in answer. "That's the thing Lucien, I don't think that it would. This conflict seems to have moved beyond the boundaries of the opera house."

Just then, there was a sound of footsteps on the stairs, and both men turned to see Christine coming down, dressed in a simple yellow dress, that contrasted perfectly against her dark curls, which were pinned half up half down. But she had a look on her face that conveyed the impression that she had heard part of the conversation. She came towards them and sat on the couch next to Raoul, and gently took his hand in hers.

"So I see that you know of our troubles Lucien?" asked Christine with a worried smile at their loyal friend.

"Yes, Raoul just told me of them. But Christine, forgive me for giving advice without it being asked for, but I don't think that you and Marie ceasing to sing in the opera house is a good idea." said Lucien, looking over at the two, while taking a sip of his tea. "It would be the worst thing for you, and .." he stopped, not knowing if he should say what he thought, but decided that he dared. "And from knowing your father when we were young, and knowing of his love for music, I doubt that you and your family giving up singing would be something that he would support."

Christine looked over at him, and unreadable expression on her face. Raoul and Lucien watched her for a moment, expecting an answer, but none came. Then Raoul spoke up.

"You know, little Lotte, I believe that our friend has a point." he said, squeezing her hand and looking into her deep brown eyes. "Your father would not want you to give up your music."

"But," said Christine, tears welling up in her eyes, despite her efforts to fight them, "I don't want anything to happen to this family, the family that I love more than anything in this world." said Christine, as a tear slid down her face.

Raoul gently wiped it away with his thumb, hating to see his beloved so torn between her music and those that she loved. "But think Christine, it was music, the opera house, that reunited us again. It was the opera house where our daughter met the love of her life. And who knows, perhaps even Felix will meet the girl of his dreams there someday. I feel in my heart that staying at the opera is the right thing to do."

There was silence in the room for a few minutes, and the three listened to the crackling fire in front of them, each seemingly lost in thier own thoughts. Then Christine broke the silence in the quietest of voices.

"The both of you are right," she said slowly. "Absoulutely right. And I believe that Marie and Arthur will feel the same as I do. Giving up singing would only make a hard situation worse. And it would only convince Erik that we fear what he may do."

Smiles appeared on both Raoul's and Lucien's faces. "I am glad that you agree, Christine" said Lucien, grinning. "And I should be rather sad if you had decided otherwise, for your voice graces the opera house with its presence."

Christine smiled broadly. " Thankyou Lucien. But.." she said in a more serious tone, "We shall all have to be careful, for I will not risk losing anyone that I love" she said, looking with a worried expression over at Raoul. "I can only hope that Erik will find his way, and that he will cease to haunt us. I know that he can change. He is after all, only a man. A man that wishes happiness. But in the meantime, we shall have to be careful, for his anger is great, and there is no predicting his actions." she said, her face clearly worried.

Raoul pulled her closer to him, and she smiled up at him, her eyes full of love. "We shall all be careful, and do not forget that I will always be here for, to protect you and our family from any danger that comes."he said with feeling.

"And that makes me feel happier and safer than you could know." said Christine sincerely as she leaned her head on his shoulder, loving the feeling of love and security that he brought. She loved him so.

"Well," said Lucien, eyeing the two with a chuckle, "I am quite glad that we got that settled. Oh, and if any newspaper papparazzi ever try to interrogate you, just send me and I'll take care of them." said Lucien cracking his knuckles.

This statemet got a laugh from all and so the conversation continued, and Lucien told Raoul and Christine all about his new home and his very interesting new neighbor. But a just before they were about to go into the dining room to eat dinner, they heard the sound of the front door opening and closing in the front hall. Felix, who had been over at Arthur and Marie's house, came tromping in with Chester at his heels. He had a rather strange smile on his face. Then came Arthur and Marie, both of whom had radiant looks on their faces.

"Well hello there all of you," said Christine happily. She felt much better now that the decision burden was lifted. "You all look quite happy, is there something going on?"

"Well," said Marie grinning slyly, "Actually there is. And I have perfect timing it seems, since Uncle Lucien is here to hear the news as well. But, I daresay you'll have to wait until after dinner before I tell you the news."

Arthur laughed at this statment, his arm wrapped warmly about Marie's shoulder. "Well then I suppose we should go into dinner, for I don't know how long I can wait to tell them."

And so the group went into dinner, Raoul and Lucien trying to pry the information out of Arthur and Marie during the entire meal.

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A/N: Hehe a cliffhanger! What is it that Marie and Arthur have to tell Raoul, Christine, and Lucien? Well, you shall see my friends, soon enough! Oh, and thanks to I am the Angel of Music, I shall check out your story soon! Thanks also to mrmistoflees. I love to get your reviews, so please read and review! Thanks everyone! 


	17. A joyous announcement

A Strange Affair

Chapter 17: A Joyous announcement

The group sat in the parlor once again, eating apple pie and sipping coffee. Felix sat on the floor, playing with Chester, who was wagging his tail rapidly as though he too, knew what news Arthur and Marie had to tell. Finally, after a few slow, silent minutes, Lucien, who was known to be quite the curious one burst out.

"Blast it all Marie Claire, I can't take it anymore!" he said, his expression slightly comical, " What is it that you want to tell us?"

Marie and Arthur laughed at this and Arthur put his arm around Marie's waist gently. " Perhaps we should not keep them in suspense any longer darling." he said, a sparkle in his brown eyes.

"Alright," said Marie, smiling as she took a breath. "Everyone, I found out today that I am three weeks pregnant." she stopped, letting the news sink in.

There were a few moments of quiet, until Christine got up gleefully from the couch and swept her daughter and son in law up into a tight embrace.

"Congratulations!" she exclaimed, her eyes alight. "This is absolutely wonderful news!"

"We rather thought so too." said Marie Claire, hugging her beloved mother tightly.

"I could hardly believe it," said Arthur, smiling wide. " Time has flown. Marie and I have already been married for four months."

Meanwhile Raoul, who had to take a minute to overcome his initial shock, had risen from the couch, a broad smile on his face. The news had clearly surprised him, as it would any father who had just heard that his daughter was pregnant, but he was ecstatic nonetheless. He hugged them both at once as Marie and Arthur laughed at the still slightly shocked looked on his face

"This is most welcome news!" he said, his voice brimming with joy. Arthur, he noticed seemed relieved that the telling was over. Raoul winked at him, he knew how nervous he had been when he and Christine had told Madame Giry about Christine's first pregnancy.

"Papa it will be your first grandchild, are you excited?" asked Marie Claire.

"Yes, I'm very excited!" exclaimed Raoul, picking Marie up and kissing her cheek.

"Ah, congratulations to the two of you." said Lucien happily as he shook Arthur's hand and hugged Marie Claire tightly. "Well, my goddaughter, you have grown up." said Lucien, his hazel- green eyes dancing with excitement. Then he looked over at Christine and Raoul. "Grandchildren! Well, you two are getting old!" he fell in his chair, laughing at the incredulous looks on their faces.

"Oh be quiet Lucien, you are as old as we are!" said Raoul, an amused smile playing at his lips.

"Yes Lucien," said Christine, " I do believe see a few grey hairs." she stated simply, her eyes filled with mirth. "Marie dear have you told Lizzie yet?"

Marie Claire shook her dark head. "Actually, Arthur and I were planning to call on them after we told the news to you. I believe that Aunt Meg and Madame Giry are there as well, eating dinner with Lizzie and William."

"Well, I think we will go over there with you if you don't mind. I want to see the look on Lizzie's face when you tell her." said Raoul with a a chuckle.

Felix, jumped up at this proposition, for he always loved to go to Lizzie's house. And Lizzie's little brother was a good friend of his. As everyone, save Lucien, who had gone upstairs for a nap, put on their coats a thought suddenly occured to Felix.

" So does this mean that I'll be an uncle?" he asked, his eyes wide. He had always thought uncles were much older that he was.

Arthur and Raoul, who found this question incredibly funny, laughed out loud. Arthur put his arm around Felix's shoulder. "Yes, it will be like you having a little brother or sister." he said, an amused look on his face.

"Yes," said Raoul, picking Felix up and putting hims on his shoulders, "That will be exciting won't it?"

"Yes," said Felix, a gleeful smile coming onto his face. He was beginning to feel very excited about this new baby.

Then the group went outside and go into their carriages. And Arthur, who was so concerned for Marie, held her close all the way. Marie laughed softly at this . She imagined that Arthur's protectiveness would only increase over the months. She doubted that she would even be allowed to walk by the ninth month. But she didn't mind, for she was more excited than she had ever been. All of her dreams were coming true.  
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A little while later, as everyone took their seats in Lizzie and William's parlor, Lizzie herself was simply dying to know what the news was.

"Marie Claire, Arthur, I know that look." she said, a knowing gleam in her eyes. "Its something big isn't it?"

"Perhaps." said Marie simply, a secretive air about her.

Then suddenly a look came onto Lizzie's face as though sommething had just dawned on her. " You're pregnant aren't you ?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"Yes, I am pleased to say that I am." said Marie Claire, blushing slightly.

Lizzie stared in surprise for a moment, a slight, stunned, but happy smile on her face.

"Surprised are you, Lizzie?" asked Arthur, an amused look on his face.

Lizzie didn't answer, but wrapped the two into a warm hug, her blonde locks falling into her face. "congratulations you two, I'm so happy for you!" she said sincerely, her mint green eyes twinkling with pleasure. After hugging Marie and Arthur once more, Lizzie rounded on her godparents.

"Wow, Aunt Christine, Uncle Raoul, you're going to be grandparents. This is amazing!" said Lizzie, going over to hug them.

Raoul and Christine smiled at their goddaughter's excited antics. They loved hearing the words 'grandparents'. To some people, grandparents perhaps meant you were aging, but to them it only meant that their daughter was happy and surrounded by love. And that made them happier than anything. Meg was the next to congratulate the young couple.

"Oh, you two have grown up so fast!" said Meg, kissing both of their heads. "So what do you hope that it is?" she asked curiously.

Arthur's brown eyes widened slightly at this idea. He ran his fingers through his sandy colored hair. "Twins? Oh my goodness, that would be a sight!"

Everyone laughed at this statement, trying to imagine the two chasing two little ones around the house.

"Well, whatever it is, or how many there are," said Madame Giry with her mysterious smile, "I am looking most forward to it. My congratulations to the both of you." she said.

Then, as everyone gathered around the parents to be, talking of nursery plans and baby showers, Madame Giry took Christine gently by the wrist and took her to an unoccupied corner of the room.

"Christine dear, as happy as I am about this new announcement, I must ask you whether or not you and your family wish to return to the opera." asked Madame Giry, with a slightly concerned expression.

"We have decided to return. Raoul and I have talked to Marie and Arthur about it, and they agree. Ceasing to preform will not help the already difficult situation." said Christine seriously . Madame Giry smiled slightly at how wise Christine had grown over the years.

"I am glad of that my dear, but you know that you all must be careful. Erik's feelings for you and Marie have not diminshed, and he is a determined man."

"I know," said Christine shaking her curly head. "And I cannot say that I do not fear what will happen, and I especially worry about Raoul and Arthur. But as Raoul and Lucien conviced me today, I will not let fear control my life. Raoul and Arthur want Marie and I to continue to sing. I am so happy Madame Giry, and I refuse to lose that, not again. And I know that Erik too, will someday find his happiness, and I want that for him. But he will not find it until he ceases to haunt us." said Christine, her voice filled with determination.

And as Christine spoke, Madame Giry saw a sparkle in Christine's eyes that had been absent for those years of her childhood after her father's death. And she knew that it had been Raoul and the children that had brought it back, especially after the shattering truth that Erik was not in fact, her angel of music.

"I agree, but you must promise me that you shall be careful. But I will be sure to tell Andre and Firmin that you, Marie, and Arthur will continue singing and that Raoul will continue as patron. But I cannot help but worry about what Erik's reaction to Marie's pregnancy will be. And you can be sure that he will find out." said Madame Giry knowingly.

"I think we shall worry about that when it comes, " said Christine, "I once thought that Erik was my angel of music, and I hope that he will find it in his heart to leave us be. Now what do you say we go and celebrate with the other?" said Christine, a bright smile on her face.

Madame Giry couldn't help but smile at her surrogate daughter, though her heart was worried. They went over to the group, all of whom were chatting animatedly about the baby to come. Christine sat next to Raoul, her face glowing with happiness. He put his arm around her shoulders, and she smiled, leaning against him. Madame Giry sat next to her, and smiled at how happy everyone looked. Marie and Arthur were simply radiant, and she saw Arthur steal a quick kiss on Marie's lips. And for a few minutes, worry left the room, and bliss and excitement replaced it.  
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A/N: Hello everyone, I hope that you like this! And many of your theories about what the news was were correct! Marie is pregnant, YAY! Many thanks to Asia1st, Samantha, I am the Angel of Music, and mrmistoflees for their continued support! The next chapter will be up soon, so please read and review. Thanks everyone, I luv ya! 


	18. The angel sees, the angel knows

A Strange Affair

Chapter 18: The angel sees, the angel knows

Lucien pulled his coat collar close about his face as he walked to his neighbor's house. He had thought that the exercise would do him good, but he was thinking differently as the bitter October winds bit into his skin. He had returned home from the de Chagny's a few days ago, and hsi neighbor had sent him a request to come and visit. He was relieved when he reached Louis'(Erik's) door and rung the doorbell, which he noticed was strangely shaped like a rose. A few seconds later Erik slowly opened the door, a smirkish smile on his face.

"Good afternoon Lucien," he said in a deep, cordial voice. " Please, do come in."

"Thankyou Louis, how are you?" asked Lucien as they walked towards the living room, and the crackling fire.

Erik didn't answer immediately. He could at least say that his life here was content and perhaps peaceful. But happy? He wasn't going to kid himself. But he certainly wasn't going to confide that in the Vicomte's best friend.

"I am doing well." said Erik as the two sat down in front of the fire, which Lucien was very glad of. "How was your stay at the de Chagny's?" asked Erik in a politely interested tone.

"Ah," said Lucien, a big smile on his face. "It was grand, and I had a wonderful time as I always do. And I was especially glad to hear that my goddaughter, Marie Claire and her husband Arthur are exepecting their first child." he said, his voice excited.

Erik, who was upleasantly surprised at this news, was trying to remain calm, so as not to give himself away to Lucien. He faked a rather convincing sneeze to cover his noise of anger.

"Ah, excuse me," said Erik, pulling out his handkerchief. "What delightful news for them."he said, attempting to make his voice light and conversationsal. But inside, his emotions were raging.

"Yes, it really is." said Lucien thougthfully. "They were so ecstatic. And I don't think I've ever seen Raoul and Christine so surprised. Raoul almost fell out of his chair. But they are so happy for Marie and Arthur. It's so nice to see them all so happy again, they deserve it."

"They sound like interesting people," said Erik, trying to keep the contempt out of his voice. "I should find it interesting to meet them, after hearing so much about them from you."

Lucien took a sip of his coffee, laughing at the memories of his stay with his old friends. "Well, they are coming to see my new house in about three weeks, after the reopening performance of the opera, and will be staying with me for about a week. Would you like me to bring them over to meet you? I'm sure they would be delighted."

"That would be a grand idea," said Erik in a tone of anticipation. "I should find meeting new people would be quite refreshing." said Erik, feeling an oncoming headache.

"Yes, well I shall tell them that . I am going to see them soon, as I am going to attend the reopening of the opera." said Lucien as a concerned expression came over his face."Are you feeling alright Louis, do you have a headache?"

"I am actually feeling rather ill all of a sudden and I am afraid that I must retire." said Erik, feigning a melancholy regret. "But I am sure that I will be feeling better tommorow, and I will come calling."

Lucien stood to go. "I hope that you do feel better tommorow my friend. Do you need me to do anyhting for you?" he asked, a bit worried.

"No that's alright," Erik said as he opened the door for Lucien. "I will be quite alright, I believe that it is just a bad head cold."

"Well, I hope that is is not serious monsieur. I shall tell Raoul and Christine of your invitation. Good day." he said as he falshed his trademark smile and walked out the door, back into the cold wind.

Erik closed the door behind him and waited a few minutes so that Lucien was out of earshot. His fists were clenched in fury, his expression livid as a growl of anger escaped his lips. He should have know this was coming, but the news of Marie Claire's pregnancy only made his anger at Arthur, his former protegee, even more fierce. It also made him grow frustrated with himself. Why was it that none of his plans ever seemed to be succsessful? He stormed into the parlor, kicking everything within reach. He threw several trinkets against the wall, taking pleasure in seeing them break. What was it that always kept his schemes from following through? Madame Giry's words echoed in his head:

"Christine is so happy Erik, let her be. She has found her happiness and when you see that , only then can you venture to find yours..."

What was it? Was the fact that he knew that Christine would not be happy with him always in the back of his mind. Surely that was what had been running through his head on that night all those years ago when he had let Christine go with her Vicomte. But he had never identified that emotion before, had refused. And Marie Claire seemed to have that same effect on him. He had refused to believe that each time he attempted to make them stay he only angered them and pushed away a chance of forgivness away even further. A few tears slid down his face. Why was it that he had to be so accursed? Why couldn't he be normal? He wiped the tears roughly from his hazel- grey eyes, ashamed of himself. Anger and fury welled back up inside of him, yet the lonely sadness was still there. Part of him wanted to just leave them be, for it would be easier, and something told him that it would be right. But a much bigger part of his mind refused. A torrent of emotions built up inside of him, and he could think of nothing to do but to sit at his piano and work on the opening score for his new opera. And he had two people in mind for two of the roles; Christine as the mother, and Marie as the daughter. And he himself of course as the father and master. The opera centered greatly around music, and was quite different from Don Juan. But Madame Giry's voice seemed to echo in his thoughts once again:

"Raoul and Arthur love Christine and Marie more than life, they are really wonderful men Erik, if you only knew them..."

As the strains rang through the house, Erik wondered vaguely if Lucien could hear them. How very useful that boy was turning out to be, and would prove to be in the future. He sang along with his score until the last notes resounded through the house. Ahhhh the glory of a musical masterpiece. As he made his way up the stairs and to his bedchamber, a plan began to formulate in his mind. But it would take time, and he had to count on Lucien to bring them over as he had suggested. But he would have to be careful not to reveal himself, or to make Lucien even the slightest bit suspicious over the next few weeks. He sat on his bed, his mind racing as he plotted and tried to keep Madame Giry's French accented words out of his head.

"Past the point of right or wrong..."

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A/N: Hello everyone, I am so glad that you liked the last chapter! Thankyou so much for the tremendous response! I hope that you like this chapter as well, please review. I am sorry it took so long to update, seeing as my internet wasn't working. Anyway , I hope that you like!

Samantha- I am so glad that you liked it! Yay Marie is pregnant! It makes me happy! Thanks! Oh and by the way, your last reivew cracked me up lol!

Guitarprincess- Thanks for the great review, I am glad that you liked it! I am sorry to hear about your summer, but I am glad that my fic may bring you happiness. Can't wait to see more of your fics! Yay RC forever!

Asia1st- Thanks for reviewing! And yay, I used your idea! Oh, and I love your recent fics by the way, keep it up!

I am the Angel of Music- Thanks for your review and your continued support, friend. I am so glad that you like it! Hope you like this as well, and I hope I did a good job with Erik's reaction. Oh and I will be sure to check out your fics again soon, they are really good! Thanks!

mrmistoflees- I am glad that you like the chapter, thanks so much for reiviewing! Hope that you like this as well! 


	19. Surprise!

A Strange Affair

Chapter 19: Surprise!

Marie Claire and Arthur rode along the moonlit path back to their house, walking their horses slowly about the oak trees. Marie savored the ride, for it would be the last time she would be able to do this until after the baby was born. She gazed over at Arthur, her heart filled with a deep and undying love. Her love for him had only seemed to increase since they had found out that she was with child. She breathed in the fresh air, a giddy, contented feeling in her veins. She was so in love and happily married, she was going to be blessed with a child, the opera was reopening, and most important of all, her family was safe. A dark cloud still resided in her heart however, when Erik came to mind.

She was hurt and intensely angered at his actions, at what he had done. But she still desired to find a way for him to be happy, and she knew that her family wanted it too, for the reasons of the human compassion and kindness that he had never been shown, or indeed, allowed anyone to show him, and for the sake of their family's continued happiness and indeed, safety. Marie feared what he might do, to what lengths he might go to claim herself and her mother. She wished that Erik could see and understand she and her mother's happiness. But she really tried not to reflect on this situation, for it seemed that Erik had once again dissappeared into annonymity.

Arthur, who had noticed his wife's daydreaming smile, spoke softly in her ear. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, taking one hand from the rein to give his bay colored horse a pat.

"Oh, just about the baby, and the future and things like that," said Marie Claire, her expression glowing at her husband. "Deep thinking."

"Ah," said Arthur, a sly smile on his face. " Well, while you think, do you want to race me back to the stable?"

Marie laughed, a sound that sounded sweet to Arthur's ears. "Of course. But be ready to lose, love."

Arthur grinned, and the young couple sped off, the horses hooves flying along the lane. The race ended in a tie and a chorus of laughter. The two jumped off of their horses, taking them into the stable and giving them each a sugar cube before heading to the house. They opened the front door and went into the entrance hall to shed their coats, noticing that it was rather dark inside. As they made their way towards the living room, Marie heard a giggle that sounded suspiciously like Felix's, but Marie thought that she must be hearing things.

"Arthur, why is it so dark in here?" asked Marie Claire as they stepped into the living room.

"I don't have any kind of clue," said Arthur in a bemused voice, "Here, let me light a candle."

But before he could do so, the light came on and a resounding roar of "Surprise!" came from behind the couches and chairs. The faces of Raoul, Christine, Felix, Lucien, Madame Giry, Meg, Jacque, Lizzie, William, Andre, Firmin,Phillipe, Raoul's parents and Arthur's parents came up to meet them.

"Oh my goodness!" said Marie, a radiant smile on her face.

"I second that." said Arthur, the surprised expression on his face most comical. "And here I was thinking that it was going to be a quiet night at home." he said with a chuckle.

Up across the wall was a banner that read ' Congratulations Marie and Arthur !'

"We thought we would throw you two a litle baby shower before we all get wrapped up in the opening of the opera house." said Christine, her eyes twinkling beneath her curls.

"Surprised?" asked Raoul, smiling at the expression on his daughter's face.

Marie Claire who was suddenly overwhelmed with a rush of love for her parents, ran to them and engulfed them both in a warm hug.

"Thankyou so much," she whispered in a tender, emotion filled voice.

"Its no trouble my girl," said Raoul, his own voice quite emotion filled at the sight of his grown up daughter.

"We hoped that you would like it." said Christine, kissing her daughter's forehead.

"Well we certainly do." said Arthur smiling at his inlaws and going over to hug his own parents, a happy expression in his eyes.

"The looks on your faces were simply hilarious." remarked Lizzie as she opened a bottle of white wine that she knew was Marie's favorite.

"I propose a toast," said Meg gleefully, "To Marie Claire and Arthur and the child soon to come."

All raised their glasses in a toast and Marie blushed a rosy color. She was so glad to know that she was surrounded by such a group of people, and from the look on her husband's face, she could tell that he was too. After a few minutes more of talking, Marie and Arthur began to open their gifts. There was a crib from Raoul, Christine, and Felix and a bassonnet from Arthur's parents. There was an assortment of clothes from the Girys and a good selection of toys from Lucien. There was also a lovely music box from Marie's grandparents and her Uncle Phillipe.

As the last shred of ribbon came off, Arthur peeped his face out from under the mound of brightly colored wrapping paper. "Well I must say that this baby is quite well equipped already," he said sifting through all of the gifts. "I hope that this nine months go by fast." he said excitedly.

"Yes, well I daresay you will have to wait until June for that young monsieur." said Madame Giry with an amused smile.

"And when it is born," said Lucien, a grin on his face. "You must bring it over to visit me, so that I can teach the child all I know."

"Oh dear," remarked the Countess(Raoul's mother) in a jesting tone, " Corrupting the child so soon Lucien?" she asked with a joking smile at her son's best friend.

This caused an eruption of laughter from Raoul, whom Lucien promptly elbowed in the side.

"I wouldn't call it corruption Countess," said Lucien, looking over at both Christine and Meg, who were both trying not to laugh. "I just want the child to be able to say that they learned everything they needed to know in life from their Uncle Lucien." said Lucien, laughing himself. "Ah and by the way Raoul, I have a very interesting new neighbor that would like to meet the lot of you."

"Oh, I should find that interesting," said Raoul, rubbing his ribcage with a begrudging look at his friend. "I supposse that we shall do that while we are visiting you."

After everyone ate dinner a little bit later, the inevitable request came from Andre and Firmin that Marie, Christine, and Arthur sing. So, everyone gathered around the piano as the three joined in an old French folksong. If someone had looked in the window of Arthur and Marie's Tudor house on that snowy October evening, a serene and peaceful scene would have met their eyes. Felix and Lucien sat upon the piano bench playing the duet, with Chester beside them wagging his tail. Christine, Marie, and Arthur were surrounding him, their voices blended together in a beautiful harmony. Raoul had his arm around Christine's shoulders and she had her arm around his waist. Marie's hand was held loosely in Arthur's, Meg leant her head on Jacque's shoulder, and Lizzie smiled up at her husband William as he kissed her straight, golden locks. Raoul's parents, Arthur's parents, and Madame Giry stood silently, smiles on their faces as they watched their children and grandchildren. It was a wonderful moment as the friends and family were there, celebrating the soon to come addition to the opera house family. And they savored it. But they didn't know that in a few weeks, a black cloud would invade the sunny skies that they had worked so hard to achieve. The happiness that they had just found again after all the chaos at the opera, and the happiness that they deserved and wanted.

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A/N: Okay so the board is set and the pieces are in motion(Don't ya love LOTR!) This was sorta one of those sweet chapters that really wouldn't go anywhere else, so I put it here. I hope you like it, please read and review! Thankyou Asia1st and Samantha for your great reviews, I appreciate it so much! Okay next up is Chapter 20: Return to Music. They're going back to to opera, yay! What surprises lie in store! It shall be exciting! It will be up in the next few days, since I still have a week of summer vacation left. So see you guys then! 


	20. Return to music

A Strange Affair

Chapter 20: Return to Music

The Paris opera house was filled to the brim with Parisian aristocrats on the eve of the first peformance of the opera reopening. It was a relief to all involved, for they had been concerned that it would have been the opposite. But apparently the Parisian public was more curious than afraid and their love of the opera overcame their scandalous gossip about previous events at the opera. But that was not to say that the atmosphere was not sickeningly tense, especially backstage. Andre and Firmin themselves had been seen pacing back and forth, shooting nervous glances at box five, which remained empty. But this feeling was undoubtedly felt most in box seven where Raoul, Lucien, and Felix sat and backstage, in the dressing room where Christine and Marie now where, putting the finishing touches on their stage makeup. It was about twenty minutes until curtain call, and all of the audience were situated in their boxes. It was a moment of mixed emotions between mother and daughter. Emotions of excitement, happiness, but also a fear of the unknown. Christine, who was ready first, went silently over to her daughter and put a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Marie Claire sweetie, are you alright?" asked Christine softly.

"I think so," said Marie tentatively, her body filled with the tingly excitement that only an opera performance could bring, but her heart was beating rapidly with worry. "This will be the last opera that I do until after the baby is born, so I don't want to go through it being afraid, and yet I still feel apprehensive."

"I thought as much," said Christine as she turned to face her daughter. "And I cannot say that my heart is not a bit afraid, but we musn't let our fear consume our music. Your grandfather Daae would be asahmed of me if I let that happen." she said with a small smile. "Now what do you say to going out there and astonishing the audience? And if you feel afraid, look up into box seven at Papa and Felix, I find that always helps."

Marie Claire took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "You're right mama. I believe that this will be my best performance yet, seeing as I have new inspiration." said Marie putting her hand on her stomach, which hadn't really started to show, considering that she was only about a month along. " I love you mama."

"I love you too, darling." said Christine, offering her daughter a hand. " And I'm so proud of you.'

And as Marie looked into her mother's eyes, she understood just how many things that Christine was proud of.

A soft knock was heard at the door and Meg poked her blond head in. "Are you two ready?" she asked, the double meaning of the words reflected in her blue eyes. It was clear that Meg was worried about the Phantom as well.

"Yes we are. I supposse that we had better go or your mother will be quite ruffled with us." said Christine knowingly.

Meg gave each of them a hug before they left, as though she couldn't help herself. "Oh, we must all be careful out there tonight, but the two of you especially. Please, be aware of your surroundings, I don't want to anything to happen to you if the Phantom is to appear."

Christine smiled at ere loyal best friend, glad at least, that one of them was calm. "We will be Meg, don't worry just dance."

"If Meg is jittery, I imagine that Lizzie is quite a bit worse." said Marie in a whisper to her mother as they walked out.

And indeed Lizzie was quite jittery, walking back and forth in her costume and pointe shoes. When she saw Marie, however, a serious look came onto her face. She took her friends hands and looked into her eyes meaningfully.

"Marie Claire you must promise me that you will tell someone if something, anything strange happens you will tell someone and not try to sort it out yourself."

"I promise," said Marie, hugging her best friend, as Madame Giry came by making the last adjustments to their costumes, a smile breaking through the look of stress on her face at the sight of them.

When Marie walked over to Arthur, she noticed that he had the same type of look on his face, but his face lit up slightly at the sight of Marie. They shared a quick kiss before the curtain rose.

"Are you alright?" he asked Marie as he rubbed her shoulders.

"Partially," said Marie, frowning a bit. "But I am going to enjoy this, it will be my last opera until after the little one is born after all." she said, her heart fluttering happily at the thought.

"Quite a good philosphy love." said Arthur, who was glancing apprehensively at the approaching Madame Giry, who was most likely coming over to reprimand them for talking just a minute before the curtain rose.

"Good luck darling." whispered Marie as the curtain rose and Arthur stepped out onto the stage. He winked at her, and then his astounding tenor voice, that always made the females melt, but especially Marie sprang into the air, and the opera began.  
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The opera itself was simply amazing. The audience seemed dumbstruck by the beauty of it. It was sure that the trio of Christine, Marie, and Arthur was the most famous in the history of the Paris opera. The same went for Giry ballet legacy. A roaring standing ovation was given as the cast took their last bows, and it seemed to last forever. Bravos were heard from every corner, the voices of Raoul, Felix, and Lucien prominent among them.

Andre and Firmin seemed to be resisting the urge to jump up and down in triumph in their box. No one could have hoped for more of a grand return than this. It was a full theater and there had been no disturbances from the Phantom, or at least not yet. But just because there had been no trouble, it did not mean that Erik was not there. He was, sitting in a middle row conspicuously disguised and applauding, though somewhat sullenly, along with everyone else. He had to be quite careful, for fear of anyone recognizing him. He glanced up to the Vicomte's box with a frown. But he had to give the man credit, he did appreciate the arts. Erik had quite enjoyed the performance, the music had been lovely, second in Erik's mind only to his work. He felt that the standing ovation had been well deserved, and that every part of the opera was quite well put together. Christine's pure soprano, Marie's lovely Mezzo- soprano, and Arthur's tenor, along with the chorus and the excellent dancing had been a quality way to spend his time.

Although Erik wondered how Andre and Firmin, who were currently jumping up an down in their box, could possibly put together this fine performance. Erik thought that Madame Giry and Reyer probably had more to do with it. He smirked as he saw his three proteges walk off of the stage. He had taught them well. But his blood boiled at the sight of Arthur, with whom he could hardly stand to see the sight of now, but his heart beat rapidly at the sight of Christine and Marie, who he could never see enough of. It was a shame about Arthur really, Erik pondered, he could have been even better, if he had just obeyed Erik's commands. He glanced upward at the chandelier, remembering the chaos that he had caused with that object in the old opera house. A part of him longed to cause some sort of trouble, just to let them all know that they had not run him off. But he had to stop himself from doing so, to keep his plan intact. He left his seat and walked out into the theater, to amuse himself by listening to the talk of the French aristocrats.  
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Raoul had been accosted on his way backstage by several high class couples, and despite his polite protests that he needed to go backstage, he was forced to go into the lobby to talk with them. He was handed a glass of champagne, and smiled kindly at the couples, one of whom were good friends of his parents. He hoped that he could get away from this conversation as soon as possible.

"Well Vicomte, that was a most wonderful opera. Your wife, daughter, and son in law make quite the trio, I must say." said the woman, who was a countess, as she sipped champagne.

"Well thank you countess. I must say that they all have a very astonishing talent." said Raoul, plastering a smile on his face. Sometimes he found it difficult to talk to such gossipy people, that were so fake.

"Yes," said her husband jovially, "That was one of the most enjoyable operas that I have attended in years. Give your family my congratulations Vicomte."

"I shall be sure to do so," said Raoul with a genuine smile now. He knew that Christine and Marie loved to hear what the public thought of their singing.

"It is so nice to see the opera house in such good condition after all that chaos a few months ago." said the countess. "Have you had any trouble with that opera ghost fellow lately monsieur?"

Raoul's smile fell. He knew that that was the polite way of prying into the Phantom affair. He knew that there had been quite a bit of gossip about everything that had happened, ever since the Don Juan incident over twenty years ago. But the most recent events, had only put a fuel in the fire, and the many newspapers articles had not helped. Raoul answered in a voice of strained poiliteness.

"No we have had no trouble, countess. It appears that he has dissappeared once more." said Raoul, not knowing that for sure, but trying to find a way to kill the conversation, and prevent the gossip from spreading.

"Well that is a relief for the opera house, I know." said the count. "Especially on the financial side. I believe that these renovations cost a pretty penny."

"Yes," said Raoul nodding as he took a sip of champagne, "They did."

Then Raoul heard his name being called, and he turned to see Christine,Marie, and Arthur coming towards him. He smiled and waved as they approached. He shook Arthur's hand, kissed Marie's cheek, and then kissed Christine quickly on the lips, taking her hand. Then the group turned back towards the count and countess.

"Well Vicomtess, that was one of the best performances I have seen you do yet." said the Countess, "I enjoy hearing you sing. And you as well, Madame and Monseiur Page'."

"Thankyou very much," said Christine, eyes sparkling. "It seems that there is a rather large crowd tonight."

But before the count could answer, Lucien, who was accompanied by Felix, came over to say that Meg and Madame Giry were looking for them, so they were rescued from the stiff and scandal filled conversation.

"Thanks for that Lucien, old pal," said Raoul as he tickled Felix. "I often find myself trapped in conversations that I cannot find a way out of."

"Well, that is what you get for being one of the most well liked aristocrats in Paris and being involved in one of the biggest mysteries to hit this opera in years. Just be glad that you have me here." said Lucien, grinning.

This drew a laugh from all as they met the rest of the cast in the middle of the lobby and toasted to the phenomenal success of the reopening.  
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Later that night, as everyone was leaving, Erik found himself, as though out of old habit, hiding in the shadows of the lobby, watching the de Chagnys. He slipped out through the front doors, careful to not let Lucien see him. He could at least have a little fun. He climbed to a hiding spot and watched as they came out, trying to supress a laugh.  
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The family came out, Marie's hand in Arthur's, Christine's in Raoul's and Felix on Raoul's shoulders. Lucien followed them, shaking his head. Laughter was in the air, as was the immense happiness that filled each soul after such a great performance. It seemed that the world was righting itself again.

"That was quite fun." said Arthur, grinning broadly.

"Yes, it was." said Marie as she twirled about the snowy sidewalk.

"I think that was the best that I've sung in years." remarked Christine. "It felt so natural."

Raoul, who was attempting to walk while Felix playfully covered his eyes with his hands,smiled at that comment.

"You know, perhaps we should all just sing instead of talk now." he said, grinning playfully.

Christine hit him playfully on the shoulder as she kissed him. "Haha, very funny." she said laughing.

But Lucien, who was the first to reach the carriage, stopped suddenly at the sight of two crimson red roses that lay on the seats.

"What is it Lucien?" asked Raoul. Then his eyes came upon the flowers. "Oh, blast." he said, his voice brimming with worry and anger.

"You've got to be kidding me!" said Arthur angrily as he picked up the two lovely roses and handed them to Christine and Marie. "I believe that these are for you."

Christine and Marie took the flowers reluctantly, and with a shaky hand.

"I don't know why I'm surprised." said Christine grimly as she squeezed Raoul's hand warmly. "I should have expected this."

"I know," said Marie sadly. "But I guess hoping that this would not happen was just wishful thinking. Our singing obviously draws him. But at least nothing happened during the opera." she said, trying to find a positive air to the situation.

"That is true," said Raoul, smiling at his daughter's attempt to look for the silver lining of the situation. "But I would feel better if you all got in the carriage."

Raoul and Arthur helped Marie, Christine, and Felix into the carriage. Then Arthur climbed in, looking angry and holding Marie close. Raoul looked around once more, trying to see if he saw anything suspicious, and then got in, holding both Christine's and Felix's hands. But as the door closed, a voice, a voice that was creepily familiar, floated through the air.

"Brava, Brava, Bravissima!"

And at these words, everyone could feel that there was an inevitable storm heading their way.  
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A/N: Okay, I hope that you all like this chapter! Thanks so much to Samantha, Asia1st, I am the Angel of Music, BlazeLogan lover, and Guitarprincess(RC forever!) for all of your great reviews, they really encourage me to keep going! The next chapter should be up in a few days and will be called Chapter 21: Visions of the past. Until then, see you later!

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	21. Visions of the past

A Strange Affair

Chapter 21: Visions of the past

About a week after the reopening of the opera house, there was to be a party celebrating the grand opening of a concert hall named after Gustav Daae. Raoul's parents, the Comte and Countess de Chagny were hosting it, and all of the prominent musicians in Paris were going to be there. Christine's father had been quite the violinist, his music spreading from Sweden to France. Christine was finishing getting ready, while Raoul was downstairs with Felix, waiting for Marie Claire and Arthur to arrive.

She was quite excited at the prospect of a concert hall named in honor of her father, and yet it still brought to reality the fact that he was gone, and that hurt Christine still. She would be glad when they left for Lucien's house in two days. It would be a nice vacation from everything going on in the city. She gave a little sigh as she pulled one side of her hair up with a lovely lavender comb that matched her dress.

"I just wish that I could see him one more time..." she murmured softly.

Just then, a bright light filled the room, taking Christine aback. Then a figure, a most familiar figure, appeared in front of her, a slight glow emanating from his tall build and dark curly hair.

"Papa?' asked Christine, her brown eyes wide.

The ghostlike image of Gustav Daae smiled. "Yes my darling girl, it is me."

"Are you a ghost?" she asked, dumbstruck.

"No, just a messenger, an angel of music perhaps. I've just come to check on you." he said, coming closer. "I wanted you to know how glad I am that you found such happiness. I have watched over you my girl, and waited for you to find it."

Tears of happiness sprang to Christine's eyes. She didn't care if this was a dream or if this was reality. "Oh papa I am so happy. The only thing that is missing is you."

"I am always with you in a sense Christine, watching over you. But I must say that Marie Claire and Felix are beautiful children and I could not be more ecstatic to see that you and Raoul found each other again." said Gustav, bending down next to his daughter.

Christine smiled brightly." I love Raoul so papa, I simply couldn't be without him. He is my light."

"I knew that the two of you were meant to be the moment that you met. Tell him that he has my love and my blessing." Gustav said as he touched Christine's cheek.

The touch felt strange to Christine. It didn't feel solid, but it didn't feel like the cold touch of death either. It felt pleasantly warm and soft.

" I am so glad to see you papa, I have missed you so much." said Christine.

"I've missed you too darling. But I must go soon. But there is one last thing." he said in a serious, yet comforting tone. " I am so proud of your singing career, I can see that music has never left your life. But I am going to give you one piece of advice. The man who claimed to be your angel of music, he will find his way. You shall keep your happiness that you have found, and he shall find his." said Gustav.

"What do you mean papa, is something going to happen?" asked Christine desperately. Any mention of Erik made her worry frantically about her loved ones.

"Just trust me that no matter what may happen, everyone and everything will be alright. I must go now, give Raoul and the children my hellos. And I love you Christine my girl." he said touching her hand fleetingly and then dissappearing, and leaving things as if nothing had happened.

"I love you too papa," she whispered into the thin air. She shook her head. Was she going insane? Although she had heard of people having supernatural visions, she had never expected it to happen to her. But still, whether or not she had been dreaming, her heart was filled with a pleasant warmth at seeing if only for a few moments, an image of her father. Then she heard a knock at the door, and Raoul entered, a smile on his face.

"Marie and Arthur are here dear," he said, looking at his golden pocket watch. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm quite ready." said Christine, picking up her silver evening bag. She had to figure out a way to tell him what had happened.

"Are you alright Christine, love? You look like you've seen a ghost." he said, taking her hand.

Christine looked up into his bewildered face and tried not to laugh. "Raoul, I know you're going to think I'm insane, but as I was sitting here a moment ago, I swear that I had a vision of my father." she stopped, and waited for a reaction.

Raoul's blue eyes widened, but he too had heard of people having visions, having grown up in the Catholic Church. He was surprised for sure, but Christine wouldn't make something of that nature up, and besides it made a bit of sense considering the occasion.

"Well,"said Raoul, his expression bemused, but pleased. "What did he say?"

Christine laughed as she came to embrace her husband, relieved that he didn't believe her to be insane. "I shall give you the details later, but he told me to give you his love and his hellos."

"This was unexpected ," said Raoul, "But I'm glad to hear it. I've really missed him, and I know that you have too my darling. It must be a sign from God." said Raoul, squeezing her hand. "Speaking of that my beautiful Vicomtess, would you care to accompany me to a party in his honor?" he said playfully, offering her his arm.

Christine smiled as she kissed him, overcome with a sudden rush of love for him. "Why of course my handsome Vicomte." she said, taking his arm.

The two walked down the spiral staircase, both contemplating what had just happened. When they reached the living room, where Marie, Arthur, and Felix were awating them, they noticed that the young couple both had rather excited looks on their faces. Felix, who was sitting between them, looked like he had been trying to pry the information out of them for several minutes.

"Is there something that you two would like to tell us?" asked Raoul curiously.

Marie Claire and Arthur smiled slyly. "Well, Felix has been trying to pry this out of me for quite a while, but I wanted to wait until you were all together. Arthur and I went to the doctor yesterday, and he thinks that I may be carrying twins."

There was silence in the room for a moment, until Christine, Raoul, and Felix all spoke at the same time. "Twins?" they asked.

"Yes," said Arthur, smiling happily, though he looked a little overwhelmed at the thought. "I believe that I had that very same look on my face when I heard the news."

"I just thought I would tell you before we tell Grandmother and Grandfather tonight." said Marie, blue eyes sparkling. "I imagine that they will be rather shocked. Speaking of that we had better go, or we shall be late."

So the family gathered into their carriages, all still slightly dumbfounded at the announcement, but thourougly excited nonetheless. And later that night, as Christine waltzed across the floor with her Raoul, consumed with thought, the comforting, yet still cryptic warning that her father had given her was at the forefront. He had said that Erik would find his way, and that everything would be alright. That happiness for all would occur. But, she wondered, what would they all have to endure for that to occur? She couldn't help but worry about it. She moved a bit closer to Raoul as they danced, wanting to be near him. She looked over at her daughter and son in law, thinking about the twins, a smile on her face. And as the music played she thought of both her father and Erik, and she hoped that what her father had said was true. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At around the same time that night, Erik sat in front of his fire, scanning the newspaper. He saw on one of the social pages an article about the new concert hall, and the celebration for the grand opening. He saw with a slight shock to the system that it was going to be named after Christine's father. He knew that Christine had, and still probably did miss her father, and Erik had often wondered what the man was like. A lover of music obviously, but that was all Erik knew. That he was an exceptional violin player. He knew that the Vicomte and Christine had both loved the man dearly. And that he had promised Christine an 'Angel of Music.'

He purused the the article further, and saw a picture of Gustav, and saw where Christine got her curls from. He looked quite young in the picture, and Erik realized, that he must not have been too terribly old when he had passed away. Erik sighed. He had been that angel of music for a while, until Christine realized that he had decieved her. And he still felt a bit guilty about that, for he knew that had hurt and dissapointed Christine greatly. He wondered again, why it was that he had been denied the pleausure of a happy life. He looked down at the article once again, almost ready to up his vendetta against the vicomte and Arthur and listen to Madame Giry, until he looked down at a picture of Raoul, Christine, Marie, and Arthur standing in front of the new building, and felt the rage and sadness build up again. He threw the newpaper into the fire, eyes burning.

He wouldn't give up yet, he couldn't. He pushed all of Madame Giry's warnings and advice from his head, even though he still didn't like that he was betraying her again, but he simply couldn't help it. He stood up, making the preparations for Lucien, who would be here in few minutes. He still couldn't believe how he had decieved the man. He laughed slightly at the thought of the look that would be on Lucien's face when he found out who Erik really was when he brought the de Chagny's over next week. He stepped outside into the cool evening air, humming the tune from his new opera softly, and he could feel the Phantom inside him fighting to get out.  
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A/N: Hello everyone, I hope that you like this chapter. I know it seems a little out there, but I have heard of people having visions of people that they were close to that died. In fact in happened to someone I know. I'm Catholic so thats really where I got the idea from. Anyway, it ties into something in a later chapter. So please read and review! The next chapter will hopefully be up soon, but I just started my senior year in high school, so it might be a bit slower than usual. It will be called Chapter 22: Meeting the neighbor. Thanks also to all of my readers and reviewers, I really appreciate it!

I am the Angel of Music- I am sorry that you frowned at the RC comment, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one. And I promise that my cry of happy endings for everyone will come true. I want everyone to be happy. Just please keep reading friend, I really value your opinion! Oh, and sorry about the two author's notes, my computer is stupid. Thanks!

Guitarprincess- I'm so glad that you like my story so much, I really love to read your reviews, they are so encouraging! Don't worry there will be fluff in store. I hope that you like this chapter. RC forever! 


	22. Meeting the neighbor

A Strange Affair

Chapter 22: Meeting the neighbor

Less than a week after Christine's supernatural vision, the de Chagnys and the Pages found themselves in a carriage overloaded with luggage, making its way toward Lucien's home. Christine had told Raoul, Marie, and Arthur the details of what her father had said. And though the words brought a sense of comfort and optimism for the future, it still brought a sense of uneasiness, for what disaster would occur for peace to be permanently restored?

But still, a happy, relaxed, banter filled the carriage, for the whole group was gladly anticipating the week long stay at Lucien's. Chester's merry barking also filled the carriage as he sat upon Felix's lap. Then, after about a fourty minute ride, the carriage, pulled by white horses, pulled up in front of a cheery looking house. It was a white victorian model, and Lucien, at seeing the de Chagny crest on the carriage, jumped up from the wraparound porch, and excited grin on his face.

"Well hello there everyone!" he said, greeting them enthusiastically. " How was the trip?"

"It was just fine," said Raoul, as he surveyed the house in front of him. "This is an amazing place Lucien."

"Thankyou, I quite like it myself. Its so peaceful and quiet here." responded Lucien thoughtfully. But come you all must be tired, and you need to rest and freshen up before we go to my neighbor's for tea."

The large group came in, Lucien showing them to their rooms. The house was charming, furnished most comfortably in the fashion of the French countryside. After everyone was rested, they all gathered downstairs. As Christine looked around, a thought occured to her.

"Lucien, I don't mean to be forward, but do you think that you will ever rid yourself of your bachelor ways?" she asked a small grin on her face.

Lucien blushed slightly, a small smile appearing on his handsome features. "Well, actually there is someone that I met not too long ago, at the opera actually. You lot will be meeting her in a few days. But anyway." he said in a rush, as though shy to discuss the situation. "I'll tell you more later, we had best go or we'll be late." he said, grabbing his coat and ushering them out the door.

The whole group found it hard not to laugh at the look on Lucien's face. They decided to ride their horses down to Louis(Erik's) house seeing as, though it was cold, it was a clear and beautiful day. They rode at a pleasant and leisurely pace towards the somewhat looming house ahead. It was of the darkest red brick, and their was an overbearing fence around the majority of it. It wouldn't have seemed like a very welcoming place if it weren't for the majestic picture of the sunset over the roof. The group reached the house, and took their horses in the stable, talking, as was the norm now about the twins to come in a few months. It was clear in the faces of Marie and Arthur how much joy this event was bringing into their lives.

The group walked up the staircase to the front door, and Lucien rang the doorbell. It took a minute, but then Erik, fully and completely disguised answered the door. He had covered his face in layers of stage makeup, leaving a bandage over a part of his forehead, looking as though he had merely fallen and cut himself. He looked nothing like Moncharmin or himself. He wore khaki colored pants, as light brown shirt and a dark brown jacket.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, Lucien. I am pleased to introduce you into my home. I am Louis Anderson, a retured banker." said Erik, with a real smile, for he simply could not believe his luck. "You must be the de Chagnys?" said Erik, shaking hands with Raoul, kissing Christine's hand lightly, and smiling at Felix. "And the Pages?" he said, doing the same with Marie Claire and Arthur.

"Thankyou for inviting us for tea," said Marie Claire as they stepped into the house.

"It is no trouble Madame. I've heard Lucien talk about all of you so much that I really wanted to meet you." said Erik, finding it hard to believe what a good facade he was keeping up. "Let me give you a tour of the house before we sit down."

All agreed, and eagerly started the tour of the house. There was something about the house that seemed to spark people's curiosity, which was why Erik had bought it. But as the door closed behind them, all, no one noticed the clouds gathering in the distance, over the pink and purple sunset. As Erik toured them around the living room, Arthur was the first to spot the grand piano in the corner.

"You play the piano monsieur?" asked Arthur with interest as he went over to the piano, which was one of the newest models.

"Music is a... small hobby of mine." said Erik, "I play every so often."

"Actually," said Lucien, "Now that I think of it, I saw you at the opera Louis, but you were gone before I could get to you."

"Yes, I was there, but I had to leave for another obligation. But I must say that it was one of the most astonishing performances that I have ever heard." said Erik, not being able to stop himself from looking over at Christine and Marie Claire for a moment. "It seems that the opera is back in business."

"Yes, It really is exciting." said Christine,smiling happily at the thought.

Erik continued to tour the family around the magnificent house, and showing them all of the downstairs and the gardens. But Lucien, who said he felt a slight headache coming on, decided to stay inside while the rest toured the gardens.

"This is an amazing area of land that you have monsieur," said Raoul, smiling. "You have done such a good job with it."

"Thankyou Vicomte." said Erik, trying to keep the grudge out of his voice. But as he observed the family as they walked, he felt something that he didn'te really recognize building up in his emotion. He felt a small twinge of guilt for what he was doing. But nonetheless he continued to walk, leading them around the gardens.

Felix, who was beginning to feel cold, told them that he was going to sit inside with Lucien and wait for tea. He walked in the house, trying to remember the way to the sitting room, which was difficult considering the sheer size of the house. As he passed the various rooms, he passed by an open door, that he could not help but enter out of pure curiosity. He pushed the door open, and saw a mahogany desk, and upon the desk lie an envelope. An envelope with the crimson seal of a skull. And beside it sat a ring, with a blue stone. A ring that Felix had heard his parents talk about. A cold shock hit Felix in the chest. This was the home of the Phantom of the Opera. He had tricked Lucien and his family, having moved from the opera house to this house.

He knew that he had to tell someone, and seeing as it would not be wise to say anything in front of the Phantom, Felix ran to the sitting room, envelope in hand, to find Lucien. He only hoped that he could get there before the Phantom did. As Felix ran in, Lucien started at the look on his face.

"Felix, my boy is something wrong? Is somebody hurt?" asked Lucien with concern.

Felix shook his head. "But somebody could be. Uncled Lucien, we have been tricked. This house belongs to the Phantom of the Opera." he said in a frantic whisper, afraid of being overheard.

"Felix, what are you talking about? Louis is a retired banker who just moved back to France from London." said Lucien, very confused as to why Felix would talk this way.

"Trust me Uncle Lucien. I found this in a room across the hall." he pulled out the envelope, his young hand shaking slightly at the sight of the skull.

Lucien stared incredulously at the envelope, hardly daring to believe that it was true. He couldn't believe that he had been so decieved. But he just couln't see how he could have seen through it. But now, he realized was not the time for that. Something had to be done.

"Go for help Uncle Lucien. Sneak out before he comes back." said Felix, sounding wise beyond his years.

"But how can I just leave you all here, something could happen!" said Lucien, his voice filled with desperate worry.

"It would be better if you went. And do not go for the police it won't help." said Felix.

Lucien nodded and hugged Felix, bidding him to try and warn his family. He told him to tell the group that he had felt ill and had had to go home. And as he crept silently out the front door, he heard them coming in from the gardens, and he made his way rapidly down the stairs. He jumped on his horse and galloped down the lane. He knew where he had to go, it was the only place that would do any good. He was heading for the Opera and Madame Giry.  
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Meanwhile, the family and Erik were sitting down for tea in front of the warm fire, and Felix was trying desperately to find a way to warn them without Erik knowing. Raoul seemed rather worried about Lucien when Felix said that he had felt ill, but Felix noticed that Erik looked disgruntled by the news. Light conversation ensued as they sipped their tea. At one point, when Erik had become involved in a conversation with Christine and Raoul, Felix slowly eased the envelope out of his pocket, so that Marie and Arthur who were sitting next to him, saw the edge. Marie drew in a sharp breath, causing Erik, Christine, and Raoul to look over at her.

"Are you alright darling?" asked Raoul.

But before Marie could answer, everyone turned to look at Erik, who had begun to laugh. A laugh that sent chills down their spines, for you see, he had seen the corner of the letter before Felix could put it back in his pocket. And it was then they knew what was going on, before Erik even said a word.

"So I see that you have found me out young Felix. Bravo. And I must say, welcome to my home." said Erik, dropping his fake voice and disguise.

Raoul and Arthur stood up simultaneously, their faces filled with an unexplainable mix of emotion. Anger, sick panic, worry. They began to walk towards Erik, shaking with anger. But before they could do so, both felt a tug on their hands from Christine, Marie, and Felix, pulling them back onto the couch.

"Yes, do have seat." said Erik, a smirk appearing on his face. "I believe that we need to have, shall we say, a discussion."

Raoul and Arthur pulled Christine, Marie, and Felix as close as possible to them, still suppressing the urge to stand up, the only thing indeed that kept them sitting was the fact that Christine and Marie wanted them to sit. And again, as Erik watched their actions, their unbreakable and everlasting love for each other so very clear, he felt that twinge of guilt. But he pushed it away, he woud follow through this time. At least, that's what he thought.

"Erik," said Christine in a tone of such sadness that Erik had hardly ever heard from her before, "I cannot believe you." she said, as she squeezed Raoul's and Felix's hands. "I thought that you had found your way." she said, remembering the words that her father had said.

Erik looked at her, trying to stop her words from getting to his heart. She would understand soon enough. "I have a proposition for the lot of you." he said, trying to keep his voice unfeeling as his eyes ran over to where Marie Claire was sitting, with a look of intermingled sadness and absolute dissapointment and anger on her face.

The group only seemed to move closer together at this statement, and trying to hold on to the words that Gustav Daae had said.

"Everything and everyone will be alright, the man who claimed to be your angel of music will find his way..."

"And what would that be?" asked Marie, glaring at Erik.

Erik shifted his gaze to Raoul as he spoke. "My dearest Vicomte," he said sarcastically. "I believe that it is you who will be making this choice for your family. Either you surrender Christine or Marie to me, or your son in law, well let's just say that his time will be up."

Raoul stared at the man, not wanting to believe his words. He looked over at his family, tears gathering in all of their eyes. How was a man to make that kind of decision? He would willing give up his own life rather than let his family suffer.

"I will either gain a wife in Christine, a daughter in Marie, or the life of a foe. It is your decision de Chagny, their fates are in you hands." said Erik in a stony tone.

Christine wrapped her arms around Raoul, trying to conceal her tears, as did Marie, Arthur and Felix.

"There really is no time to waste." said Erik moving over towards them.

"You cannot do this," said Raoul strongly.

"Our love will hold us together, Erik," said Marie. "And I know that there is love out there for you, but you won't find it by doing this!"

And at that moment, the family could trust in nothing more than the words of Gustave Daae, that Lucien would return soon, their love of each other, and the grace of God for all of them, including Erik.

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A/N: Okay so I left a cliffhanger, sorry about that. I am also incredibly sorry about the long wait, I have been so inredibly busy with school, swim practice, and other such things. But I sincerely hope that the next chapter will not be as long of a wait. But I hope you like, and please read and review! Oh, and by the way, I would like to stress my earlier point that there will be happy endings for everyone, I promise with my heart!

Guitarprincess- I am so glad that you liked it, I was really hoping that it would touch someone. Thankyou so much for your support, I love getting your lovely reivews, they truly encourage me! And yay for the twins, glad you liked that. And yay RC, as always, I love it!

Asia1st- To Lucien's house they go, thanks for reviewing!

BlazeLogan Lover- I am so glad that you liked it! Ya the vision was trippy, but It just kind of came to me. Thanks so much!

Samantha- I love the suite life of Zach and Cody, and I'm most excited about the twin Pages! I was glad to see that you liked the part about Christine's father. Thanks so much for all of your support!

I am the Angel of Music- Thanks so much for your support, I really like to get your reivews, they truly encourage and help me to improve. And by the way, your latest stories have been so awseome, and I can't wait to see more! I hope that you like this! And I will keep my promise about the happy endings, you can count on it! 


	23. Desperate plans and unthinkable choices

A Strange Affair

Chapter 23: Desperate plans and unthinkable choices

Erik moved closer to the group, his hazel- grey eyes fixed on Raoul. Raoul stood to face him, his face grim, but determined. But before he did so, he gave each member of his family one of the most meaningful hugs that they had ever recieved. Christine gave Raoul a gentle kiss before he could turn away. He smiled, but the kiss only seemed to make Erik more desperate. When Raoul turned, Erik grabbed his wrists, attempting to drag him from the room.

"What are you doing?" asked Raoul, pulling his wrists from the iron grip.

"Why, taking you somewhere will not be disturbed. I daresay that you have quite a decision to think over." said Erik in a sly tone.

Raoul had a look of surprised anger on his kind features, but decided that a level head would be for the best in this situation. "If you wanted me to do that you simply could have asked." said Raoul indignantly.

Erik grunted an inaudible response as he led the way out of the room, retaking his hold of Raoul's wrists. They walked down the hall in a horrible silence, the tension and emotions between at the moment clear enough without words. The last thing that Raoul had wanted to do was leave the room, but he knew that being rash would not help the situation. He needed time to think of a way to get his family out. But he didn't know how long he would be able to contain his emotion. On the outside he tried to remain calm, but on the inside he was torn apart. How could any man make such a heartbreaking decision? Either way he chose, his family would be torn apart. They reached a room that appeared to be a study, and Erik pushed Raoul inside.

"Now de Chagny, I will be back in approximately one hour to hear your decision." said Erik, his eyes boring into Raoul's, as Madame Giry's words echoed inside his head.

'Raoul loves his family so much Erik, if you only knew him...'

Erik shook his head slightly, trying to ward off those thoughts of what Madame Giry would say to this. He wondered for a moment if that was whom Lucien had rode to for help...

Raoul stared right back at Erik, refusing to show the man any of his fear, his blue eyes ablaze. As Erik turned to leave, Raoul couldn't stop one word from escaping his lips, a question that could not go unanswered.

"Why?" he asked, his voice full of anger, despair, and intense worry.

Erik turned, surprised. "Because you did not learn before." said Erik simply, his brows furrowed, his voice not betraying the smallest amount of doubt in the back of his head about this. "And I must warn you Vicomte, that if you fail to come to a decision, I will take young Felix as mine as well. He is a most charming boy, and an excellent piano player."

Raoul's valiant heart beat even more rapidly as he tried to prevent himself from doing something to anger the Phantom more, but as though he couldn't stop himself, he grabbed Erik's collar. "You will not get away with this monsieur," he said firmly. " I will not let you. Look into your heart, you know that this is not right! If you really were Christine's angel of Music, you wouldn't be trying to tear her away from the ones that she loves! You really have allowed your genius to turn in to madness." he said, letting go.

"Quite." said Erik as he looked one last time at his foe, then closed the door, and locked it.

Raoul stood in the center of the room, his very heart and soul breaking from worry for his family, and wondering how this could have happened, and trying to understand, and only then did he let the tears fall. He knew now, precisely how Christine had felt on that night all those years ago, when she had been given that decsion, for this was far worse, in Raoul's mind, than a noose or a sword. He would give his life for his family, he would give anything to secure their happiness. And as he sat, the words of Gustav Daae resounded in his head, and he could only hope that they were true.  
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Erik walked back down the hallway and into the room where the rest of the family stood, looking as though they had suddenly stopped talking when they had heard him enter the room. Erik strode in, walking straight towards Arthur and avoiding the sad gazes of Christine and Marie. But he could not help but smile a bit at their mere presence. He took a hold of Arthur's shoulder and watched him mouth and 'I love you' to Marie Claire. It took Marie Claire an enormous amount of courage to let go of her husband's hand.

"Please madames, and young monsieur, take a seat. I will return in just a moment." said Erik.

Marie's blue eyes were filled with an inexplicable pain as she looked up at her love being taken from the room.

"Please Erik, don't harm him!" she cried to her teacher.

"I won't," said Erik. "Unless your father makes that decision."

Erik's guilt only seemed to increase as he met the young girl's eyes, so he turned his face away, and led his former student from the room. Arthur was resistant to his teacher's grasp; Erik had forgotten how fiery the young man could be when angered. But though Arthur was angry, the real feelings that he was experiencing could be read in his soft brown eyes. They were missing their usual sparkle and they were full of despair. But even then, a slight hint of determination could be seen. Arthur, who still sould not believe that the Phantom would go this far, was consumed with deep and intense panic. He would gladly give his life to prevent Marie or Christine from living in the darkness that had consumed unfortuante Erik's life. But that did not mean that the courageous young was not afraid of death. It was not so much dying, but the thought of being seperated from the ones he loved. He thought of the twins to come, and hoped that for their sake, that everything would be alright.

Erik opened the door to a room in the back of the house, and shoved his protegee inside.

"Now, my young monsieur, you will wait here until I come back to retrieve you." said Erik turning to go.

But Arthur spoke up suddenly, having to say something. "I love her Erik, I wish that you could see that." said Arthur softly. "And even if I die, our love will not."

Erik turned and looked and looked at the talented tenor. " I cannot express my dissapointment in you Page'. You are so talented. If only you had done as I had asked." said Erik, turning to go. "And also, you lost the priviledge of calling be my my name the day you turned your back on me." he said, closing the door with the click of a lock.

Arthur turned and threw himself in a chair, his face in his hands, his thoughts consumed with love and worry. He didn't know what to do, but he wasn't willing to give up, not yet. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christine watched with wary brown eyes as her former teacher came into the room. She had one arm about Felix, whose face was white, and one around Marie Claire, whose bright blue eyes stared at the floor.

"Now that that is taken care of," said Erik, a strange, unused smile overtaking his masked features. "I believe that it is time to present to you my new opera. It is called 'Living in the Music of the Night.' It tells the story of, shall we say, how I believe that my life should have been." He pulled out a large, bound, black book, that revealed a lengthy opera.

Christine looked up at the man who had claimed to be her angel, and heard her father's comforting words in her mind. But would they come true? It was the only thing that she could cling to as she remembered the broken look on her beloved Raoul's face as Erik had taken him from the room.

" Erik, why must you do this?" asked Christine in a melancholy voice. "It hurts me so much. You have it in you to stop this, I know it. Why must you decieve me again and again?" she questioned in a strong voice, trying to hold back her tears.

"Come Christine, sing and you will feel better, my angel of music." said Erik, not answering her question directly.

"No it won't," said Marie Claire suddenly, looking up to face Erik as a single tear slid down her face. "Music cannot heal all. Erik, I beg to know why you do this to us!"

"For reasons beyond your current understanding my dear." said Erik as he set up the music on the piano. "Now," he said, turning to Felix, "I have heard that you play the piano quite superbly. I would like you to come and play this piece for me."

Felix bravely shook his head, but Christine kissed his head and told him to go, for want of not angering Erik, and endangering Raoul and Arthur's lives any further. Erik would do no harm to Felix. Felix walked over, and sat on the piano bench, his young frame trembling.

"And now, my angels, we shall sing the opening song from my opera, I believe that you know it." said Erik, reffering to the music of the night.

And though that was the last thing that Christine and Marie wanted to do, both of the very intelligent women knew that perhaps this music would distract Erik, for he often got lost in the music. And as the notes to the song began to soar through the air, and as the piano blended with the three voices, Marie Claire hoped and prayed with all her might that her grandfather's words were true, and that Lucien would return soon, for she knew that it rested in the hands of God.  
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A/N: Once again, I am so sorry for the long delay, school is killing me! I am hoping that it will let up soon. But anyway, I hope that you like this, and I will once again, say that there will be a happy ending. But there are still a good few chapters to go yet. Please read and review!

I am the Angel of Music- Thanks for your continued support! And no, Erik will not feel guilty forever, my comments are hinting at the feelings of guilt that are surfacing in his head about what he is doing to the family. It ties in to Gustav Daae's words. I hope that you like this!

Asia1st- You are right, of course our brave Raoul is not going to give up that easy, he loves his family far too much to do that! He has something up his sleeve, as always. Thanks for reviewing!

Samantha- Thanks for reviewing, I love reading your reviews! Don't worry everyone will be okay, I promise! Gustav will be right, Erik will see the error of his ways, but we just have to get there! Yes, I think Felix is quite the little ally, I really wanted to involve him in the story more. I hope that you like this! 


	24. Thoughts of family

A Strange Affair

Chapter 24: Thoughts of family

They had been singing for almost fifty minutes, and the music seemed to induce a somewhat insane trance over Erik. He breathed the music, felt the music, lived the music. In this state he appeared to be quite harmless, but it was still quite disturbing. But it made Christine and Marie Claire feel a bit relieved, as they hoped against hope that this would be what would help Gustav Daae's words come into being. Felix's fingers ran lightly over the ivory keys, as he played the final notes of the middle score, which was entitled 'Family of Music.' The young boy did not particularly like the music, in fact he found it quite disturbing, but he knew that it was genius as far as the arrangement went. Then the music slowly ended, and the three voices, high and low, rang out, beautifully perfecting the last note.

Marie Claire looked over at Erik, her heart pulsating, her breath shallow, as she tried to control her panic. She noticed that his eyes were unhealthily bright, and his expression manic. It seemed that the insanity that she had never wished to witness again was setting in. But she knew that Erik would never harm she, her mother, or Felix. But he would her papa and Arthur. Erik glanced up at the clock on the wall, reading that there were five minutes left for the Vicomte to make his decision.

"A mesmerizing job." he said, bowing to Christine and Marie. "I should say that you two are the perfect choices for those parts, but then again I never doubted that."

Christine's warm brown eyes were clouded with an immense hurt that appeared to be turning into what looked like... anger. "I will sing this no longer Erik," she said in a determined tone. "And nothing that you can say will change my mind."

Erik looked at her, his expression one of mingled surprise and bewilderement at her initiative. "As you wish my dear," he said as took her pale chin in his rough- skinned hand. "It is best anyway for I believe that it is nearly time to hear your darling husband's decision." he said, gazing into her soft, dainty features.

She backed away from his touch, tears welling up in her eyes and spilling over despite her efforts to keep them in. "You will gain nothing from this Erik," she said, her tone shaky but serious. "Nothing but further dissapointment. Look into your soul Erik, and stop focusing on the mask you wear."

Erik stared at her, a childlike shock in his eyes, that turned after a moment into a even more intense desperation. "I have tried again and again to make the both of you see. I AM your angel of music!"

"No," said Marie Claire, coming nearer to Erik and looking directly into his bitter features. "You are a man Erik, a lonely man and genius man who has allowed his soul to become distorted . One who has the potential to be great. You could have been a musical mentor to us, instead of trying to tear us away from those that we love so very much! Your life is in your own hands Erik, you cannot live in your past any longer! Marie Claire cried, her voice passionate as she tried to let him see that she was trying to understand.

"Do not pretend as though you understand me. Enough of this, I shall return in a few minutes." he said, walking out without further ado, his mind and his increasingly guilty conscience swirling.  
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Raoul sat in the hard chair that Erik had placed in the room, staring with his painfilled and now spiritless blue eyes as he watched the clouds come ever closer, covering the sun and threatning to let loose a torrent of rain. he didn't move as he rested his chin on his hand, thinking fiercely of way to let his family escape, a way that would work. He wanted so much to free them, for he loved them so completely, that at the thought of them being unhappy, he could almost feel his heart breaking. He could not, and he would not make this decision. So, he decided there was nothing for it: he only had thing to offer the Phantom, and that was his very life. He would much rather die than cause Marie, Christine, or Felix to have to stay here, or to have young Arthur lose his life. He wanted more than anything to prevent their pain and hurt. Then as he squared his shoulders in decision, a teary smile came to his face at the thought of his family, the one that he loved to the absoute.Then as he sat, his head pounding and his heart racing, he thought he heard the faint sound of a violing playing the ressurection of Lazarus. At first he thought it was the Phantom playing the same violin that he had played that fateful day in the cemetary. But as Raoul turned,he saw what looked like a beam of sunlight filtering through the window, even though it was raining outside.

He gave a start, as he saw the filmy figure of Gustav Daae appear before him, holding what looked to be the very violin that he had taught Raoul to play when he was a young boy. Raoul stared, not daring to believe what he saw. His thoughts raced back to what Christine had said about her vision.

"Monsieur Daae?" asked Raoul, studdering slightly in shock. "Is that you?"

The ghostlike figure chuckled jovially as he smiled. "Yes, Raoul my boy it is. I just came to say thankyou for taking such tender and loving care of my daughter. She really needs you. I wanted to let you know how proud I am of you, you were always like a son to me."

Raoul smiled slightly at this man, whom he had cared for so much, and whom he held as high as his brother Phillipe in esteem. "I love your daughter so much, monsieur, and we have created such a wonderful family together. But now I am afraid that we are going to lose it all." He said, his voice shaking from emotion. "And I am willing to give my life to secure their freedom."

A sad look came over Gustav's face, and he moved closer to Raoul. "That is an incredibly brave and honorable notion Raoul. But did Christine not tell you what I told her?"

"Yes she did, but I don't see how it can come true. This seems to be the only way to get my loved ones out safely." said Raoul, running his hands through his dark blonde hair in frustration.

"Trust me Raoul, they will come true, everything will be alright. You will see." said Gustav in a reassuring tone as both heard footesteps in the hall. "Keep up your hope, and never forget how much you are loved by your family. Good luck." he said as he dissappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.

"But wait, How! I don't understand!" yelled Raoul, as Erik opened the door. Raoul turned to the opening door, a cold sweat running down his neck, but a valiant fire in his eyes.

"What are you yelling about monsieur, there is no one in the room?" said Erik walking over and taking hold of Raoul's wrists. "Have you come to a decision?"

"Yes," said Raoul firmly, trying to hold on to his deceased father in law's words. "I have."

"Excellent." said Erik, tying Raoul's wrists so tightly, that Raoul flinched and shot his foe a dirty look."You may tell your decision as soon as we are all gathered back in the room."

"You will not get anything from this," said Raoul. "Can you not see that what you are doing is hurting those that you claim to care for?" Raoul yanked his wrists from Erik's grip. "I can walk myself, I know where to go."

"As you wish," said Erik in a sarcastic, silky tone, as he pushed the door to the sitting room open.

Raoul's eyes were met with the sight of his family, and his heart warmed at the sight of them, even though their situation was bleak.

"Raoul..." said Christine softly as he went to sit near them, her eyes full of love, and riddled with worry.

Marie and Felix both seemed to light up a bit at the seeing the face of their beloved papa.

Raoul sat on the couch next to his family, his wrists still bound, as all eyes fell on Erik, who stood at the entrance to the room, an unreadable expression on his masked features.

"I am going to retrieve young Monsieur Page', don't go anywhere." he said in a snide voice, as he closed the door. As he walked, the small sense of wrong and guilt came to him again. He stopped, as though he were changing his mind. But he shook his head. No, this was right, he was doing what he should. Wasn't he?

He stalked down the hallway, not letting his thoughts get to him, focusing on only the door in front of him. He threw open the door, and his eyes were met with the tearstained, and yet still defiant eyes of his former protegee.

"Bonjour Arthur. It is time to return, and hear you dear father in law's decision." said Erik, in a stony voice.

Arthur looked up at the man dressed in black, still hating to believe that all of this was really happening. He stood up and looked Erik directly in the eyes. " I simply cannot believe that you have gone this far. And I cannot believe that I ever trusted you as my teacher."

Erik shook his head, a smirk on his face. " I have told you time and time again, Arthur, that if you had only listened to me, we would still be on good terms."

Arthur looked away, his heart beating faster at the thought of his beloved wife, and the children to come, and tried to think of a way to get his family out. He decided to take Raoul's advice and keep a level head until he was back in the room with his family. He felt Erik tying his wrists together, and the brave young man walked silently from the room, only glad that he would get to see his beloved again, and no matter what happened, he would find a way to find happiness for her, and her family, that was like his own.

Erik was surprised at Arthur's silence, but he did not doubt that both he and the Vicomte and Arthur had something up their sleeves. And as he walked in the room, and he saw the look on Marie's face as she saw Arthur, both she and her mother's words echoed in his head. Did they really understand him?  
He shook his head and turned to the group, his eyes focused, desperate, lonely, and angry.

"Well, seeing as we are all gathered together again..." But before Erik could even finish his sentence, the group heard the door burst open with a bang. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: I am so sorrry for the delay, I have been so busy with school! But thankyou so much to all of my reviewers: Samantha, I am the Angel of Music, Guitarprincess(yay RC!), and Asia 1st, I love your reviews! I hope that all my readers like this chap, and please read and review! Please forgive the shortness of this note, as it is way past time for me to go to bed! Thank God for long weekends! Oh, and also, let me stress that there will be NO character deaths in my stories, and all will end well. It just takes time to get there! Love you guys, and thanks! I promise to answer all reivews next time! 


	25. Coming True

A Strange Affair

Chapter 25: Coming True

Everyone stared as the dooor came open, at the soaking wet and wild eyed intruders. There in the doorway stood Lucien, Madame Giry, Meg, and Lizzie, all of whom looked as though they had ridden on horseback all the way from Paris in the storm.

"Ah, how nice to see we have secured some guests for the evening." said Erik as he eyed the group unhappily.

"What do you think you are doing Erik?" asked Madame Giry, her voice laced with worry and crushing dissapointment.

"Simply making a deal. A treaty if you will." said Erik, not meeting her accusatory gaze.

Lizzie's and Meg's eyes were widened in fear, but they had begged to come along to help save their friends. Lucien's boyish and youthful face was contorted with rage, and yet tears slid down his cheeks as he stepped forward, directly in front of Erik.

"You lied to me monsieur," he said slowly. "And you used to me in your plan to hurt my friends. It is a nearly unforgivable trick." He didn't back down, even though Erik's glare was like ice.

"But a good trick nonetheless." said Erik, smirking. "Now I daresay the lot of you ought to take a seat."

Then at those words, a couch came flying up behind the four and they fell onto it, and when they tried to move, they seemed glued to the upholstery. Erik's mystical magician's powers were again at work. He turned again towards the de Chagny's and the Page's.

"Now where were we? Ah yes, I believe it was time for the Vicomte to announce his decision." said Erik with the air of one making light conversation. Raoul looked up, a strangely calm expression in his blue eyes. "I have come to a decision," he said wearily, and yet still with a certain strength in his voice. "I cannot make any of the choices that you gave to me, for it would mean hurting one of my loved ones, and sacrificing one of them to save the rest, and I will not do anything of the sort. If their lives may go on in the way that they wish them too, then I am more than willing to give up my life for their freedom. This is the decsion that I have made, and I will fight for it." he said firmly, turning back to look at his loved ones eyes that met his with such sadness that it made him want to fall on his knees and cry, but he valiantly stood his ground, for their sake.

Erik stared, but he looked back at Raoul, contemplating. "I must say monsieur, that that was not one of the choices I gave you, but on the other hand, I cannot refuse. But I shall not kill a defenseless man." he said as he threw Raoul a sword, that looked as though it had seen better days.

"Raoul!" cried Christine in a desperate voice as she stood up. " Erik please don't do this! I will stay if you let him go!"

"The contract is sealed my dear." said Erik,

"Look at me Erik!" she said with an intense look in her eyes. "You will break me if you do this!"

"Your breaks will heal my dear, I can assure you of that. I am your angel of music after all." he said as he advanced towards Raoul. "You may trust in me."

Raoul stood, sword unsheathed as he prepared to defend himself. And the only fear he felt was not that of dying itself, but of leaving his family behind. But it was the only way, and he knew that the good Madame Giry would be there to get his family out, and would ensure that Erik kept his part of the deal.

"I do this to save my family," said the vicomte softly, "And because I love them."

Lucien, Meg, and Lizzie all sat trying desperately to rid themselves of Erik's spell. Felix was wide eyed as Arthur put his arm around the young boy's shoulder. And tears fell, even down Madame Giry's face, as she watched her lonely friend, and her brave son in law came head to head once again. And just before the battle began Raoul turned to look at his family, and saw Christine mouth an I love you to him, which made him smile. Erik meanwhile, looked over at Madame Giry, and tried to read her expression.

The swords clanged together for the first time with the same speed and strength on either side. Another clang, and then another, with Raoul constantly looking back at his family, and fending off Erik. But as they moved closer and closer to the wall, Marie Claire feared that Erik would back her father up against the wall, for though her father was an excellent sword fighter, she knew that the sword the phantom had given him was about to fall apart. A tear slid down her face, flowing down every crease, and then falling to the floor. Her papa was going to give up his life for them. And then, at the next clang, something in her erupted, and she simply couldn't watch this happen.

"Stop!" she cried, getting up from the crimson red couch and walking ever so calmly toward the two. "Please Erik, don't do this! I won't let you!" she exclaimed, as she took her father's hand that wasn't holding the sword.

"Your father made his choice Marie Claire. He chose to die for you." said Erik, still amazed at the girl's stubborn unwillingness to give up.

"He did that because he loves us Erik, can't you see that?" said Marie, her blue eyes lighting up with a white fire.

Erik kept his gaze on her as he instictively moved his sword agianst Raoul's. "Give me one reason that I should stop." said Erik, trying to keep his voice emotionless. He looked behind him as he heard a soft voice in answer.

"For the same reason that compelled you to do it before Erik," It was the voice of Christine. "Compassion. And though you may not believe it, it is felt for you because you showed it to us all those years ago."

Erik looked away from Christine, his heart racing, as he tried to look back at Raoul and continue the fight, when he realized that Raoul could have easily finished him when he had turned his back to him. But he hadn't. And then as he slowly turned, he accidentally caught Marie Claire's eyes, and he saw there, all of the innocence and hope that he had seen and still saw refelcted in Christine's eyes now and over twenty years ago. He dropped his sword, backing away from everyone. He couldn't do it, and he cursed himself for not being able to.

"Go. Leave." he said in a hoarse whisper, turning his back towards them.

It was quiet for a moment, as everyone took those words in. Then Christine, Marie, Arthur, and Felix all slowly got up and ran to Raoul and he engulfed them in relief, tear filled hug. Then Meg, Lizzie, Lucien, and Madame Giry, came over to join as well. And even though everyone had been through hell at the hands of this man, they were all so thankful to him, for letting them be together.

"Go now, before I change my mind!" yelled Erik.

At this, the family and friends went quickly out, with everyone shooting backward glances, that is save for Madame giry, for she stayed there, with Erik. Erik turned shocked to see that this time, he was not alone, and as he looked over at Madame Giry, he caught the eyes of Christine and Marie, and in both eyes he saw ulitmate gratuity for letting them go. But before the group exited, Erik, heard a soft whisper from a young voice.

"Thankyou." It was the voice of Felix, who quickly followed his father out. Raoul nodded to Erik as he took Felix's hand, as though he too were thanking Erik. The last person to exit was Arthur, with Marie Claire at his side, and he too, though still worried and angry, nodded to his former teacher, knowing that someday all would be able to forgive because of this compassion shown on all sides.

The door closed with a creak, and Erik and Madame Giry heard the crunch of Lucien's horses on the gravel. She turned to Erik, and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Erik, words cannot express how proud I am of you. And happy. But I cannot help but wonder; what has caused this change in you?" she asked gently.

Erik sighed. "Because I realized, really right after the moment that the vicomte chose to give his life for his family, and from the moment that Christine and Marie were pleading with me, that they love each other. They will never love anyone as they love each other, and it is not my right to tear them apart. What else could I expect? No one will ever love me." said Erik in a harsh tone that masked his despair.

"That's not true," said Madame Giry in a heartfelt tone. "I do." she enveloped the man in a hug, and thought that now, just maybe, that finally, all those that she loved could be happy.

Erik seemed stunned at first, but then realized that what she said was true. "Do you think that they will ever forgive me?"

"Yes," said the good woman. "One day they will"  
And then, though it felt akward, Erik returned her embrace, and though he still had a tumble of emotions inside, he was comforted by knowing that there was someone who could love him.  
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A few minutes later, when the group had all come back inside Lucien's warm and cheery house, Lucien went about, directing them all to rest, and going about the house trying to make them comfortable. There was a silence in the house, but it was a relieved one. Raoul had one arm draped around Christine, as she leaned her head against his chest, and one arm around Felix, who appeared to be falling asleep. Arthur had Marie enfolded in his arms. And Meg, and Lizzie were also running about helping Lucien. Then Meg sat down across from the family and surveyed them as only a good friend could. There were tearstains on their faces, there were shocked looks in their eyes, but she read there too, a glint of happiness through the pain. For Meg knew, that this family wanted nothing more than to be together, and that their love was something special. Memories of all the years that she had spent with this family, ran through her head.

Memories of Raoul and Christine's wedding day, memories of the days Marie and Felix were born, and memories of the day Arthur and Marie had been married. She smiled, thinking that now, perhaps, everything really would be alright, Her thoughts flew to her mother, back with the Phantom, and she worried for a second if she was alright. But she knew somehow, that she was. She had never understood her mother's realtionship with the Phantom, and now she realized, she would not question it. For perhaps it was her mother's job to help the Phantom.

After a few more moments, Lucien and Lizzie entered the room again.

"Well, is everyone okay?" asked Lucien in a whisper.  
Raoul looked up at his best friend with a slight smile. "We're together, and right now, that's all that matters."

And as he said this, Christine pointed out that the sun was coming out again, and the clouds were moving away. And everyone smiled at that, for they knew that Gustav Daae was smiling down at them from heaven. And he had been right. Everything would be okay. It would take healing, it would take time, but it was true, for everyone.  
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A/N: Well there you have it! I told you everything would be okay for everyone. It just proves that you can be a strong RC fan and still give Erik a happy ending. I will not give any hints as to where the Giry/Erik relationship is going, you shall see in time. And never fear, for this story is not over yet, there are still several chapters to go! Thankyou so much for all of your support, I really hope that I can get to 100 reviews before the ending of this story! I hope that you like this, so please read and review!

Guitarprincess- I am so glad that you like it, and am also glad that you consider it an early birthday present. I always love to read your reviews, they are so uplifting and encouraging! Hope that you like this chapter, and look forward to more romance for Raoul, Christine, Marie and Arthur in future chapters! RC forever!

I am the Angel of Music- Yes, Madame Giry has come. But please faithful reader do not distrust me, for I value your opinion on my writing. I hope that this chapter shows you that what I said about happy endings for everyone is true. I thought that yuo especially would like the Erik- Madmae Giry part near the end. I hope that you like this, please review!

Asia1st- Yup, Lucien is back! I hope you like this, and thanks for reviewing! 


	26. New life after the nightmare

A Strange Affair

Chapter 26: New life after the nightmare

A/N: Hey everyone, thanks for the reviews, they are much appreciated! Okay, before I commence with the chapter, there is a clarification in order as to the status of the Giry/Erik relationship. I never said that they were involved romantically, even though they are presumably near the same age. Madame Giry represents to me what I think Erik deserves most, which is a mother's love. And Madame Giry is going to be there to give it to him. As to his romantic status, its a surprise, which will involve an OC from his past. Anyway, this chapter is all about Raoul, Christine, Marie, and Arthur. The next chapter will explain about Erik and Madame Giry. Then there will be an epilogue. Anyway, enough of my ranting, see ya at the end of the chap, enjoy!  
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It was a bright June day, months after the incident. Life had gone on for all involved. Healing was leading to happiness, and change was in the air. But if anyone happened to be watching the front walk of the lovely Page' house, a comical sight would have met their eyes and ears. A carriage with the top down, driven by white geldings was being driven at a rather concerning speed up the drive. It stopped with a squeak of the wheel, blowing dust into the air.

"I can't believe it, I just can't believe it! Our little girl, having twins!" exclaimed Raoul de Chagny as he pulled the horses to a stop.

Christine's musical laugh rang through the air as she listened to her husband's remarks and tried to regain her composure after the incredibly fast paced carriage ride. "Raoul love calm down. You knew this was coming."

"Yes, but it actually occuring is quite different. These things are hard for a father to deal with after all. Do you think she'll be alright?" he asked in a nervous rush, which was common for a father who had just reiceved the news that his daughter was in labor.

Christine smiled, a sparkle in her brown eyes as she gave her beloved a kiss on the lips. "She'll be fine darling, don't worry." she said as they walked up the brick front steps.

"You're right little Lotte, I suppose that the news just came so quickly it took me by surprise." he said, smiling at his love and taking her hand in his as they entered the house. Felix ran ahead of them, having never been quite so excited in his life.

"Come on mama, papa!" his young voice urged.

"We're coming son, we're coming!" answered both Raoul and Christine at the same time, as they ran to catch up, chuckling at their son.

They were escorted to right outside Marie and Arthur's bedroom to find Arthur pacing and probably putting permanent indentions in the hardwood. The young man looked up when he heard their approach, and his handsome face lit up.

"I'm so glad that you're here!" he exclaimed, running a shaky hand through his sandy colored locks. "This is rather nerve wracking. You're the first ones here. My parents should be here soon as well"  
he laughed a soft, but nervous laugh.

Christine laughed with him as she put a comforting hand on his arm. "You should have seen Raoul when Marie and Felix were born."

This drew and indignant look from Raoul, that turned into a grin, as Felix chuckled, trying to imagine that. "Yes, I was quite a nervous wreck. Not to say that I am much better at the present moment." he said, joining in the laughter.

"I'm just so excited and worried at the same time, but its an incredible feeling." said Arthur as he tugged nervously at the hem of his shirt.

Just then, the doctor peeped his head out from behind the door, a triumphant expression upon his face. "You may come in now Monsieur Page'. " he said, gesturing the new father inside.

Raoul and Christine winked at their son in law as he resisted the urge to run inside. Once in the room, he crept slowly and cautiously towards the bed. And as he gazed at his wife, sitting there with two bundles in her arms, her curls damp and her face lit up as brightly as the midday sun, he had never loved her more.

"Arthur, look they really are twins! A boy and a girl." she said as she leaned over to meet his lips in a soft and gentle kiss.

Arthur's eyes widened as he took his children into his arms for the first time. He held them close, and kissed them each on the forehead.

"Oh Marie Claire, they're beautiful. What do you want to name them?" he asked as he sat down on the bed next to her.

"I was thinking Elissa and Jean. How does that sound?"

"Perfect. Absolutely perfect." said Arthur happily. "I love you so much darling."

Marie smiled, her blue eyes twinkling. "I love you to Arthur, so much." Her heart and soul soared. She had never been so happy.

Then the door came open again and Raoul and Christine, along with Felix, who appeared to be antsy with anticipation, all came in.

"Mama, Papa, Felix, come meet Elissa and Jean!" said Marie Claire enthusiastically.

The three came over, jubilant grins on their faces.

"Oh Marie darling they're perfect." said Christine softly as she took them in her arms. "Elissa has your eyes and Jean has Arthur's. I'm so proud of you honey." said Christine as she stroked her daughter's curls.

"I second that." said Raoul as he took the newborns and tickled them under their chins, and the new babes emitted a giggle. "Oh my girl now you and Arthur have started a family of your very own. Everyone at the opera is going to be so ecstatic. Congratulations sweetie." he said as he kissed her cheek.

"I just can hardly believe it. Its a completely new feeling." she said as she hugged her parents tightly. "I love you so much."

Felix was wide eyed as he took his new niece and nephew into his arms. "They're so small." he said seemingly fascinated.

Everyone laughed, the happiness spreading through the room. Marie Claire gazed at her little brother with a smile as he placed them ever so carefully back into his sister's arms. "You're Uncle Felix now." said Marie as she gave her brother a kiss on the cheek, and he blushed.

Then the peace was broken as the group heard the door burst open and Lizzie came in, her blonde locks flying behind her and a huge smile on her face.

"Oh Marie Claire I got the message. They're so beautiful!" exclaimed Lizzie as she bent down to kiss the newborns. "How do you feel Marie?"

"I've never felt so alive." said Marie Claire. "Or so happy." she said as Arthur put a gentle arm around her shoulder. "Its like Arthur and I are starting a new stage in life."

"I know, its amazing. Especially since we've known each other since we were born." said Lizzie and she smiled at her dearest friend. "Oh and mother and grandmother will be by in a matter of minutes. Mother had to close up the opera house for the day, and grandmother is..." she stopped, not wanting to bring up a sore subject.

"Its okay," said Arthur. "Erik needs someone to be there with him, and if anyone can do that, its Madame Giry. They've been friends for years. And I think that this whole group has come to an understanding with Erik, and now I think life will go on for everyone."

At that moment, both Elissa and Jean laughed as their father looked down at them. It was a sweet and wonderful sound.

"I guess they agree," said Lizzie, sounding relieved. "Wow, I'm a godmother now, its a wonderful feeling!"

"And there's no one better for the job than you." said Marie Claire as she gave her best friend a hug.

Then the door came open once again, and Lucien, Meg, and Madame Giry all came in at once, looking wildly excited. Lucien immediately ran over and hugged his goddaughter as tightly as was possible after she had just given birth.

"Congratulations you two lovebirds!" he exclaimed as he looked down at the twins. "This is a glorious day!"

"I second that," said Meg, planting kisses all over both Marie, Arthur, and the twins. "They're perfectly adorable!"

The room went silent for a moment as all eyes fell on Madame Giry. She went over to where Marie sat, and looked upon the girl she considered to be her other granddaughter with a grand smile. "Congratulations my dear. And too you to Arthur. Words cannot express what this day means to me."

"Thankyou so much," said Marie Claire, her eyes alight. "But I must ask you, how is Erik?"

Madame Giry's eyes widened slightly at this question, but she answered nonetheless. "He is, I must say doing better. He is going on a long journey, but I think that in the end he will be alright. And actually, he ran into a woman that he knew from those horrible days that he spent with the gypsy's. He could hardly believe it. They were friends when they were both there."

"Well then that makes this day ever the better. I'm glad to hear that he is doing better." said Marie sincerely.

"I am too," said Christine. "Very glad. Tell him that for us. For all of us."

Raoul, Arthur, and Lucien nodded in agreement to her statement.

"I will make sure to do that." said Madame Giry, hardly able to believe that everything seemed to be working out so well. It was everything that she had hoped for. Erik would be happy, Christine and Raoul were happy, Marie and Arthur were happy, and her very own family of Lizzie, Meg and their husbands were happy. And so was she.

"So," said Lucien slyly. "Raoul and Christine, you're grandparents now. How does that make you feel about your age?" A boyish grin spread over his face, reminiscent of the ones from his childhood.

"You're really going to wish you hadn't said that Lucien." said Christine with a happy and amused laugh.

"Why's that?" he asked curiously.

"This is why." said Raoul, as he rolled up his sleeves and began to chase Lucien around the room. "And don't forget my friend, you are six months older than me!"

These antics drew laughter from everyone, as they took in the breath of happiness that had been achieved, and that seemed as though it would always remain.  
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Later that night after everyone had left, Arthur crawled in bed beside Marie, after checking on the twins for what had to be the hundreth time that night. Marie Claire snuggled up close to him, taking in his warmth.

"How do you feel my love?" he asked as he traced her rosy cheek with his finger.

"Tired," she said truthfully. "But happier than I've ever felt. Can you believe this Arthur? We're parents." she said softly.

"Its so amazing. And there's no one that I'd rather share my life with than you my darling." he said as their lips met in a passionate kiss, that contained all the love that the couple felt inside.

When they broke apart, Marie Claire smiled. " I can't wait to see what they're like when they get older, to see them grow." she said sleepily as she closed her eyes.

"Neither can I," said Arthur as he to closed his eyes. "Neither can I"  
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It was late when Raoul, Christine, and Felix got home. Felix, though excited, was quite sleepy.

"I think that I'm going to bed." he said yawning as he heard the pitter patter of Chester coming up behind him and attacking him with his puppy licks, his tail wagging fiercely.

"Alright darling," said Christine as she hugged her little boy to her. "We'll see you in the morning.

"Sweet dreams little buddy," said Raoul as he gave his son a bear hug, and Chester a pat.

Felix smiled as he went sleepily up the stairs, and crawled into his warm bed with Chester curled up at the end.

"Oh Raoul," said Christine as she watched Felix go, "They've both grown up so fast."

"I know. But Felix is still young yet, he's not quite ready to grow up just yet." said Raoul as he and Christine made their way into the living room.

The two sat upon the couch in silence for a moment, simply enjoying the bliss. Raoul had his arm gently around Christine's waist, and she leaned her head on his shoulder, breathing in his pipe smoke scent.

"Can you believe it Raoul?" she said suddenly. "We have created such a wonderful family, and two new additions have just been added. Our little girl has children now."

"It seems unbelievable," he said as he stroked her hair. "But its so amazing. I've never seen those two happier than they were today."

"I can't wait to see them grow up." said Christine, her voice so filled with joy that seemed to spread through her entire body.

Their was silence again for a few minutes, as both imagined the twins as they got older.

"Raoul?" said Christine suddenly.

"Yes my love?" he said with a smile.

"I love you, so very much." she said in a heartfelt tone as she leaned over to kiss him, with all the love she felt for this man who meant more than the world to her.

"I love you to, Christine. More than life." he said as he returned the kiss. Then he proceeded to pick her up in his arms and began to carry her up the stairs.

"Raoul what are you doing?" she asked with a girlish laugh.

"Carrying you up the stairs. Its an awfully long staircase after all, and I'm a gentlemen." he said, leaning down to kiss her again.

She smiled, her brown eyes shining. A fleeting memory of her father's words ran through her mind. Erik had found his way, and from what Madame Giry said, he seemed to be finding happiness, and she was happy for her former teacher. She and her family had kept their happiness, and increased it. And as she looked into the blue orbs of her beloved Raoul, she knew that everything was alright. Everything was absolutely perfect.  
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A/N: Yay, twins! How exciting, I've been wanting to write this chapter for a while. Alright, so two chapters left. The next is about Erik, Madame Giry, and the Erik's friend from when he was with the gypsys that was mentioned in this chapter. Then there will be an epilogue with all characters. Hope that you like this, and please read and review!

Samantha- I'm so glad that you liked it! I hope that you liked this chapter, I was actually watching the Suite life of Zack and Cody while I was writing this. Ya, I can't believe that these stories ended up so long, but they just kind of did somehow, its like I couldn't couldn't stop writing!

Asia1st- Yay happiness, I'm glad that you liked it! I know that you love RC just like me, so hope that you like this chapter! Oh, and I thought that Madame Giry and Erik were near the same age, but I could be wrong. Hope you enjoy this! And, yes Lizzie did get married.

I am the Angel of Music- Thanks for reviewing! I hope that the note at the beginning of the chapter cleared up the Erik/Giry thing, I'm so sorry for the confusion. Hoped you liked the part about Erik's friend from childhood. You get to meet her in the next chapter, which I know for a fact that you will like. And I sincerely thank you for continuing to read. Oh and by the way I hope that you update your stories soon, I'm anxious to see them! 


	27. Changes in the air

A Strange Affair

Chapter 27: Changes in the air

Erik sat upon his bed inside his sleeping chambers, staring into his wine glass, a grimace upon his masked features. Memories of the past years flooded his mind, consuming him. The past months had given him plenty of time to think, and sometimes he wondered if he thought a bit too much. Giving up Christine and Marie had become both a blessing and a curse, with the surse portion of that being much more significant. It was a blessing in that he was not constantly making plans to have them as his 'family of music', and not being able to follow through on them. He knew that he had truly let them go, and that they were happy. But this factor did not keep him from being himself. He was still angry and it was only the memory of their thankful faces that kept him form storming out the door and accomplishing what he had intended to do only a few months ago.

And in his mind, he was cursed, and he cursed himself daily for letting them go. It was really only Madame Giry that kept him from going insane. But seeing as she was not here at the present moment, he stormed downstairs and pounded out music from his piano. He had had them in his graps, under his control, he had taken advantage of their emotions, he could have had all he wanted, and yet he had let them go. He questioned himself, not for the first time, why he had done so. But deep in the back of his mind, he knew why. For he had realized on that day, a few months back, that he could not force Christine and Marie to do as he wished. If he had made them stay, he would have only hurt them by tearing them away from their families. One part of him had wanted to make them stay, to force them to see his pain, but the part of him that had prevailed had not wanted to hurt them.

There was only one thing that comforted him, and that was the fact that Madame Giry was there for him. She represented to Erik the love that he longed for the most; a motherly love. Then as he sat lost in his torrent of heated emotions, he heard a knock at the door. A slight growl escaped his lips. Who dared to stop by, and what the hell did they want? Unless it was Madame Giry, or his old friend from his gypsy days, he had half a mind to punjab them. When he reached the door he looked through th window and saw that it was in fact his old friend, whose name was Gabrielle. Her mother had worked for the gypsies, and she had been the only friendly face during his horrible years there. She had run into him on the street a few weeks ago when he had dared talk a walk down his street at around eight at night. He had had his cloak wrapped around him, but she had somehow recognized him.

"Bonjour madmoiselle," he said in as normal a tone as he could muster at the moment, as he opened the door.

"Bonjour Erik," she said quietly but with a small smile. She had been overjoyed to find her childhood friend again. Although admittedly, he was a bit different than she had expected, but she didn't want to let that frighten her.

"This is an unexpected surprise," said Erik as he led her to the sitting room. "But a pleasant one."

They sat down in the living room, and Erik was grateful that it was his sleeping chambers that he had ravaged and broken things in rather than downstairs. For some reason, he had no desire to turn her away, even though he was still incredibly wary of other human beings. There was a silence for a moment, until Gabrielle broke the ice.

"So how did you end up here in this lovely house?" she asked, brushing her raven black hair out of her eyes.

Erik didn't answer for a moment. How did he explain that? He would give the short story, he wasn't quite ready to trust her. "After I was rescued, the girl that rescued me, Catherine Giry, let me live under the opera house. I acquired money from the managers over the years, and now I'm here." said Erik, leaving out all of the events concerning the de Chagnys and the Pages. "How about yourself?"

Gabrielle's hazel eyes searched his face as he spoke, as though she knew he was hiding something. "My mother and I left the gypsies about a year after you dissapeared. We found work at various circuses in Paris, working as tiprope walkers. But now I'm actually going to be working as a ballet dancer at the Opera Garnier. It fairly near the new Opera Populaire." she stopped, as she heard the door open.

As she had spoken however, herhand had inched ever closer to Erik's and was now resting lightly on his. Normally Erik would have instantly drawn back, but she showed no fear of him, so he decided not to. Madame Giry walked in the room, a grand smile on her face, seeing as she had just returned from the Page' house, and from seeing the newborn twins. An even bigger smile claimed her features when she saw Erik and Gabrielle.

"Bonjour Erik, Gabrielle, " she said coming over to them, her custon long braid hanging over her shoulder.

"Well I really must be going. But I will come back tommorow if that 's okay." said Gabrielle, her tone hopeful.

"Of course," said Erik. "You are always welcome."

Madame Giry raised her eyebrows at his welcoming tone; it was obviously incredibly unlike him. They walked Gabrielle to the door, and to Erik's immense shock Gabrielle placed a quick kiss on his cheek as she exited. The door closed and Erik shook his head slightly before turning without a word back towards the parlor. After a few minutes of silence, Erik spoke.

"You left in a rush today, what happened?" he asked.

"Marie Claire gave birth to twins today." said Madame Giry with a slight wariness, perhaps a bit tense about how former phantom would react.

"Ah..." was all Erik said to that statement, so the good woman continued.

"They were glad to hear that you had been reunited with Gabrielle again." she said quietly.

Erik started from his previous activity of staring at the floor. "They asked about me?"

"Yes," she said simply. "And they are so happy Erik, you did the right thing."

Erik grunted an inaudible response to that, taking a rather large swig of his glass of wine.

"And from the look of things you seemed to be quite content with Gabrielle a few minutes ago."

Erik gave her a look. "She is just an old friend. You forget what happened a few months ago Catherine."

"I will never forget what has gone on between you and the de Chagnys and the Pages. But you let them go Erik. They are moving on, and I think that it is finally time for you too. I sense something between you and Gabrielle, it dosen't mean that it had to happen immediately, but give it a chance." said said, looking at her friend, her eyes meaningful.

Erik allowed a small half smile to come onto his face. He certainly had a long way to go before he could truly live. But his experiences with Christine, Marie, the Vicomte, and Arthur had taught him something; that compassion was felt for him. Because, even after all of this, after all of the anger, the hate, the tears, they found it in themselves to forgive him, and he found it in himself to let them go. Christine's face ran through his mind. She and Marie, had always felt compassion for him, and he realized that now. But they had not been able to show it because they had wanted to try and protect the ones they loved from his wrath. They belonged with Raoul and Arthur, he knew that now. That was not to say that he would ever forget, or that he would not be angry or bitter, because he still was. But as he pictured Gabrielle in his mind, and touched his cheek in rememeberance of the kiss that she had given him, he saw a glint of hope.

"Perhaps you are right Catherine"  
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A/N: Alright, so thats kind of a wierd place to end a chapter, but it works. So, there's what's going on with Erik, I hope that you like it! Okay so only one chapter left! The majority is going to be told through Marie Claire's eyes, ending the story where it began. See, I told you guys that it would be happy for everyone! You can have a strong RC story, and still have a happy ending for Erik. I want to thank everyone for their support through this story, and I hope that you like this chapter and the next one! Please read and review! And thanks to Asia1st for the review, its good to have you as a fellow RC fan, and I'm glad that you liked Elissa and Jean. Also thanks to all of my reviewers; Samantha, Guitarprincess, and I am the Angel of Music(I thought of you as I wrote this!) 


	28. Here comes the sun

A Strange Affair Chapter 28: Here comes the sun(Disclaimer: I don't own Phantom or this Beatles song title)

A/N: Oh my I can't believe that this is the final chapter! We've gone on a long journey haven't we my faithful readers? This is especially long, because there is a great deal to tell, and loose ends to tie up. I feel tears coming so enough of my rambling. I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you all at the end of the chapter.  
Dedication: I dedicate this to my most faithful reviewers Guitarprincess, Samantha, I am the Angel of Music, and of course Asia 1st. This is also for all of my reviewers that have reviewed at any point during the story, thanks so much!  
Quote:" A dream is a wish your heart makes.." Disney's Cinderella Quote 2: "Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong.." Disney's Beauty and the Beast -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight in the countryside of France is an astounding sight to see. It is so different from the lights and sounds of bustling Paris. The stars shine so much clearer as they twinkle above, as though they are God's eyes, winking down at you. Marie Claire Page' smiled as she looked up at that sky. It was August and the warm summer evening breeze blew gentley over she, her family, and friends as they walked down Lucien's street, giving the now two month old twins a ride in their carriage. A new opera had just had it's grand opening, and Marie, Arthur, Christine, Meg, and Lizzie had all starred in it. It had broken record ticket sales, and had been one of the most succsessful operas in quite some time. This had sent Andre and Firmin into ecstasy, and Raoul had been swarmed by other aristocracy who wanted to support the Opera Populaire financially. And the music had been so lovely, so angelic, so perfect. Its amazing the things that peace can bring about.

Marie's soft pink dress fluttered in the breeze as she looked down at her small son and daughter, who were giggling and playing with their new rattles. She was instantly overcome with such a feeling of unconditional love for her children, and it was the best feeling that she had ever experienced. Arthur too, looked down at his children, a broad grin on his face and a fatherly sparkle in his intense brown eyes.

"Its amazing isn't it my love, how fantastic everything has become?" he whispered, as he slipped his arm around her waist.

"I can hardly believe it," said Marie softly. "But it is everything that I ever dreamed."

"Its a happily ever after." said Arthur in a heartfelt tone as he kissed cheek.

Marie's heart swelled with love as she looked up at her beloved. He was absolutely right. She leaned closer to him as she pushed the pram along, surveying her family and friends with shining blue eyes. Raoul and Christine were directly beside them, walking hand in hand with both their faces and eyes lit up in ecstasy. Lucien was beside them, attempting to tickle Felix, as the boy ran for cover under his father's arm. Lucien's new fiance Antionette watched this with a laugh. Lizzie was sitting atop her husband William's shoulders, her laugh resounding through the neighborhood and her mint green eyes wide with joy. She had just recieved the news that she was with child and she was overjoyed. This news had also brought happy tears to Meg and her husband Jacque's eyes, for now they too would be grandparents as Raoul and Christine had so recently become. Arthur's parents too were there, walking beside and chatting animatedly with Meg, Jacque, and Madame Giry. Marie Claire looked up at the velvet sky above her and she silently thanked God. 

She could hardly believe that only a few months ago their world had been falling down around them, and now it was pure bliss. She looked around at her family and friends, all of whom were talking and laughing, and she knew that even though they had all been through a lot together; pain, terror, happiness, joy, and a whole collection of experiences, these things had only brought them closer together. Hope and compassion had won out, and lessons had been learned. Love had grown stronger, and had been taken to a new level.

The sun had finally set behind the treetops when Marie Claire felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Lizzie. Marie turned to smile at her faithful friend.

"A few of us are going inside to get ready for dinner. Don't stay out here too long alright Marie? Because well, I know that everything seems to be resolved with the Phantom, but you never know. Please, be careful." said Lizzie seriously.

"I will, I promise." said Marie sincerely as she gave her friend a quick hug. "Don't worry about me."

Lizzie smiled, but she gave her friend a look that said ' I know you're stubborn, so be careful.'

After Lizzie and the rest left, only Marie, Arthur, the twins, Raoul, Christine, and Felix were left walking. They reached a small park where they sat down on the finely carved and ornate wooden benches under the trees, bathed in the moonlight. Arthur sat net to Marie, his arm wrapped loosely around her shoulders. Raoul and Christine sat next to them in the same fashion. Felix meanwhile, stood by the carriage, playing with the twins and tickling them as they giggled and gurgled. It was a perfect moment, and one of the most peaceful that the family had shared together as of late. After a few minutes of chatting, the happy family noticed that there were two people walking down the street, in their direction. At first they seemed like any ordinary couple out for an evening stroll, but as they came nearer, Marie felt a twinge of uncertainty; there was no mistaking the glint that the starlight was making upon that white mask.

The others too, seemed to recognize the man who had once been called 'Phantom', and the air seemed to tense a bit, but not nearly so much as it once would have, for Erik did not seem to emanate quite as much anger as before, and there was not a grimace on his face. In fact, he seemed to look slightly content. He stopped when he reached the spot where they sat. All of their eyes met, and for a moment there was silence. But then, Christine spoke up.

"Good evening Erik." she said, her tone a bit stiff, but there was small smile on her face.

"Good evening Christine, Marie Claire, Vicomte, Arthur, Felix," said Erik politely. "Congratulations on the succsess of the new opera."

Marie smiled at this remark, but she was a bit surprised. A great change seemed to have occurred in Erik.

"Thankyou," said Marie carefully, "How are you Erik?"

Erik raised his eyebrows at her, as though perplexed at her asking this. "I'm doing fine."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a minute, but then the conversation continued.

"Who is this with you Erik?" asked Christine, as she gestured and smiled at Gabrielle.

"This is my old friend Gabrielle from my younger days. We were just recently reunited." said Erik as he beckoned the shy Gabrielle forward.

The raven haired woman stepped forward, looking nervous. "Bonjour everyone."

"Bonjour Gabrielle," said Marie, trying to make her feel comfortable. "I am Marie Claire Page', this is my husband Arthur, and our children Elissa and Jean." she said as she looked with happy eyes down at the carriage. "These are my parents, Raoul and Christine, the Vicomte and Vicomtess de Chagny, and my little brother Felix."

"I am pleased to meet you all." said Gabrielle with a slight smile. She surveyed them, and Marie knew that Erik had told her at least part of the story. Then she began to walk towards a grove of flowers, as though she wanted to give Erik a bit of time alone with the group.

"Its been a while since we last met," said Erik with a small smirk. "Congratulations to you all on the birth of the twins. Madame Giry told me of their birth. She has been a good friend to me over these months." He darted a quick glance over at the carriage where Elissa and Jean were falling asleep.

"She is a good woman all around. She has been there for all of us." said Arthur, speaking up for the first time.

"Sometimes it seems that she knows us all better than we know ourselves." said Raoul, also taking initiative and stepping into the conversation.

"And now," said Erik. "I realize that I should have never tried to make her choose between us. I merely came to wish you well." he said, sounding quite sincere.

"And we wish you well too Erik," said Christine, a smile overtaking her feautures. "And thankyou."

"Thankyou so very much," piped up Marie. "For understanding.

And it was at that moment, as a true smile was spreading across Erik's face, that something remarkable happened. Raoul and Arthur stood up at the same time, and approached Erik. Raoul put out his hand, a question in his blue eyes.

"Truce?" he asked simply.

Erik looked at his rival for a moment, then shook his hand. It looked for a moment as though they might try to break each other's fingers, but then they let go. "Truce."

Arthur then approached him, and he too stuck out his hand.

"Thankyou, for all you taught me," he said as he shook Erik's hand, even if it was in a stiff manner, that seemed rather like they too, might have tried to make the other loose the feeling in their fingers.

"You are welcome." replied Erik.

Christine, Marie, and Felix stared in awe at this spectacle, hardly daring to believe that it was actually happening.

"Well I had best be going," said Erik. " Gabrielle and I will be traveling to England, for me to start work on a new opera. Perhaps I shall see you again someday." He moved a bit nearer to them, and gave Felix a slight smile, before planting a kiss on Marie's hand.

"Goodbye young Madame," He said quietly, his voice a whisper on the wind.

"Goodbye Erik, and good luck." said Marie, her blue eyes smiling at this man who had finally come to his senses. Maybe.

Erik then moved to Christine, and planted a kiss on her hand. "Goodbye, angel of music." he said, in the smallest whisper, his eyes lingering on her face before backing away.

"Goodbye Erik. We shall look for your opera." she said smiling at her fomer teacher in a way that let him know that all was forgiven.

Erik turned to go, but then turned back around for just one more moment. "You all have always known where you belong, and that is together. And now I have found where I belong. Each of us has learned something from this, even if we do not realize it yet. I hope that I will see you in the future." He stopped, that ever familiar smirkish smile overtaking his face. He turned and beckoned to Gabrielle, and she came to him.

The two began to walk down the street, but Erik looked back just once more, his hazel- grey eyes lingering on the family for a moment. It was incredibly difficult for him to keep walking and avert his gaze, but he did, and somehow he knew that this would not be the last time that they ever encountered each other. Gabrielle walked beside him, and just then, he took her hand in his, letting her know that he was beginning to feel what she did. He would never forget Christine, or her daughter, or this experience, it would live on forever in his memory. But as he looked into Gabrielle's eyes, he saw love there, that existed solely for him. And he knew that now he could move on from this, for Gabrielle, Madame Giry, and the incident just now had taught him that. It was nice to know that all was right between he and Christine and Marie, and that he no longer brought such terror to their eyes. It had indeed been hard to admit his mistakes, especially when he had shaken hands with Raoul and Arthur, but in a strange way he was glad he had. They had shown him compassion, and so he had shown it in return. And now, as he intertwined his fingers with Gabrielle's, he knew that he loved her. He was starting anew, and he was happy, but he would never forget the music of the night, and he would always hold a place in his heart for his angels of music.

Marie watched the man who had once brought fear with his presence as he dissapeared into the evening darkness. She could hardly believe the change in him, but even though he had changed he was still Erik, and she knew he had a long way to go.

"Well," she said, the happiness and contentment clear in her voice. "I suppose that now, all of our dreams have some true. Everything is simply... perfect."

"Yes," said Christine. "It is." She too, seemed surprised that Erik had actually come over and spoken to them. She smiled down the street, then smiled over her daughter and son in law. She had never felt so relieved. Now, she knew that Erik had truly accepted her love for Raoul, and Marie's love for Arthur. And he had found someone as well. She felt so light on her feet, like a huge weight had been lifted.

Raoul too, seemed to feel the same, for at that moment, he picked Christine up and swung her around in the air, just as he had done on the night that they had declared their love. Christine laughed merrily, and they shared a kiss that was so filled with love that both felt as though they would melt. They were together forever, with never another threat to be torn apart again, and it was wonderful. And at that moment, the childhood sweethearts knew that Gustav Daae was smiling down on them.

Arthur too, seemed affected by the giddiness in the air, and pulled Marie too him, and they became wrapped up in a kiss. When they pulled back, a shooting star flew over the sky. Then the group began to walk back towards Lucien's house. Felix ran down the street, with Raoul, Christine, and Marie all chasing him, while Arthur pushed the carriage with the sleeping twins, barely able to contain his laughter at their antics. Once they reached the house, they entered to find that the table was being set. Lucien, who was by the door, accosted them as they entered.

"What in the blazes took you so long? We've been home for at least thirty minutes." Asked Lucien, as he shook his auburn hair out of his face.

"We ran into.. someone we knew." said Christine vaguely. They would explain later.

"Well I can see that we're just in time for dinner. Excellent." said Raoul as he took off his jacket and moved towards the table.

Arthur too, seemed to be quite hungry, for he too took off his jacket and dashed over to the table rubbing his hands together. "Ah, this looks quite appetizing."

Everyone gathered at the table, all so happy to be gathered together like this. The soft candlelight glowed on each and every one as they said the blessing. Then, once it was said, they all dug in, and ate with relish. Marie Claire suveyed them as they ate, these people who mattered most in the world to her. And her heart was filled with such an immense joy, that she hardly knew what to do. Everything was going to go on, and everything was wonderful. She knew now, that when she woke up in the morning, the sun would shine so much brighter. And there was one reason for that; Love. Love could change everything, for better or worse. But this time, it had been for the better. She gazed at her parents and brother, and her heart swelled with love, for she knew that they would always be there for her. She glanced at Lizzie, Meg, Madame Giry, and Lucien, and was so grateful to have found so many irreplaceable friends. Then she looked at Arthur and the twins, and knew that she could have no better life than the one that she shared with them. And then she thought of Erik, and was so glad to know that he too, appeared to have found someone to give him the love that he was looking for.

She sighed contentedly, and her face lit up with a smile. It was perfect. She gave a fleeting thought to when she had been sixteen, and had scored her first starring role in 'Hannibal.' It seemed so long ago, and she had changed so much. But inside she knew, that she was still the same girl that she had always been, always so full of life. Change was necessary she knew, but later that night as all gathered around Lucien's piano, and as the strains of piano, violin, and voice soared through the air, she realized that some things would never change. And she took comfort in that. And she knew as well, as she sang and gazed at her loved ones, as she thought of the indescribably poweful love that her parents shared, of the amazing love she herself shared with Arthur, of love of family and friends, of brother and sister(she smiled at Felix) and as she remembered the look in Erik's eyes as he looked at Gabrielle, that love was the best virtue of all.

And so ends part two of my tale of the Strange Affair of the Phantom of the opera, of the family de Chagny, the family Page', and all of their friends. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Oh my, well this has been a long journey! I can't believe that it got so far, I never expected to get so deep into this, but now Phantom is officially my favorite fandom to write in. And never fear, there will be more fics from me very soon. There is one that I am working on called "Let Daylight Dry your Tears' that will be posted in the books section of Phantom of the opera. These two fics have been my best works, and without a doubt, my favorite fics that I have ever written. I have fallen in love with the characters that I have created, so don't be surprised if you see them reused in other Phantom fics of the future. Thanks to all of my reviewers, it was your support that truly inspired me.

Samantha- Well, there you have it, the last chapter! I really hope that you like it. You have been one of my most loyal reviewers from the very beginning, and I thank you so much. Your reviews have always been uplifting and encouraging, and not to mention hilarious! I hope to see reviews from you on my other fics! Yay for the Suite life of Zack and Cody and for the Page' twins!

Guitarprincess- Hey there! I really hope that you like this, I put in the extra RC and Marie/Arthur fluff just for you. I want to thankyou so much for your amazing reviews, for when I read them, I always feel so happy with what I have written. You have been a loyal reviewer from the beginning, and I really hope to see reviews from you in the future. RC forever and always!

I am the Angel of Music- Hello there my friend! I hope that you like this last chapter. And also hope that you are happy with the way I ended Erik's part in the story, I did a lot of that just for you! I am so glad that even though we disagree on some points, that we can still enjoy each other's stories. Your reviews have always helped to improve my writing, so I thank you very much. I hope to see your reviews soon, and keep up the great writing you've been doing!

Asia1st- I sincerely hope that you liked this last chapter! Thanks so much for the awseome and honest reviews that you have left me. I always enjoy reading your uplifting reviews, it brings a smile to my face. Thankyou for sticking with me and my stories for so long. I hope to see reviews on my future fics, and I also hope that you will write something soon, you have great talent! RC rules!

And thankyou also to BlazeLoganLover and mrmisstoflees, you rock! 


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